WHAT IS SUCCAPLOKKI?
Succaplokki is a small business in Paimio, Finland. We make cheerful knitting supplies, mainly from recycled materials. Our knitting supplies either aid you in creating your knitted items or add the finishing touch to them.
Succaplokki’s goal is to bring colour, joy and a fresh look where there used to be none. Our needle gauges are owls and robots. Our knitter’s bags state proudly: ”Knitting is not a crime”. Our stitch markers are shaped like traffic signs.
Our tiny factory is located in Proper Finland, in Paimio, about 30 km from Turku towards Helsinki. We make all our products from scratch, start to finish, in our own facility. The factory is more like a workshop, but we have always called it a factory – even back when the finishing touches were added to the products on the balcony of our apartment.
When you visit our current factory, you can also find a small shop with our whole selection on display. At the same time you will see how the products are made, get to know our materials and hear the stories behind the items we make.
MATERIALS
During the years we have managed to find partners who provide us recyclable materials. Our main raw material is industrial leftovers and other unusable plastic. We paint part of the products with waste paint from a car paint shop. We also collaborate with a local wobbler lure painter who pours his leftover paints into our plastic mix. When we make our products we use all the materials as efficiently as humanly possible.
COLLABORATION
Beneath the surface is bubbling a lot more than knitting supplies. We work in collaboration with various companies, societies and events. We make custom items to order. Keyring charms with the company logo and engraving are one of our popular products. Geocoins, info signs and fair stand boards are also examples of our handiwork.
FROM AN IDEA TO A BUSINESS
The story of Succaplokki starts in 2008. Aleksi’s wife, an avid knitter, asked her husband for a pair of sock blockers. Aleksi used a piece of waste plastic to make a pair, and while he was at it he made a couple more. The blockers were showcased on the wife’s blog, and the extra blockers were given out as prizes in a raffle. The comments started flooding in, expressing willingness to purchase a pair of blockers, and not long after the factory had been set up.
The web shop was set up in Etsy, a US based portal, where the products were sold also abroad. Meanwhile the selection grew and collaborations started to emerge. The family moved to the countryside, which made it possible to purchase machines, set up the facility and become a full time entrepreneur. In 2013 Aleksi Viirilä was chosen as the Young Finnish Crafter of the year and was nominated for the Noste award of crafters.
HOW DO I GET AN OWL OF MY OWN?
We have an Etsy shop to serve our international customers. All new products and special items are available there. We deliver every business day. Please consult the list of our retailers in order to locate the nearest vendor selling our products.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A RETAILER OR A PARTNER?
We are always interested in finding new retailers. We also manufacture custom items to fit your needs. E.g. custom made needle gauges for events have been fun to make. Please feel free to contact us and ask for additional information.
SUCCAPLOKKI
Aleksi Viirilä
Mäkeläntie 3
21530 Paimio
GSM: +358 40 5211 216
e-mail: succaplokki(at)gmail.com
Business / VAT ID FI2306395-2
