'Good to have a family business' says master cutler of Svord

Bryan Baker has been making knives for over 40 years in Waiuku - and now the legacy keeps growing as the next generation comes through.Bryan Baker's story begins with a lost World War Two bayonet and a pocket knife vanishing in a paddock.He has spent the last 40 years honing his craft of knife-making under the Svord brand in a humble shed in the rural town of Waiuku. Listen to the story of Svord on Country LifeAnd now the story has taken a step he never saw coming - it's become a family affair. "I wouldn't have foreseen that...I think it's good to have a family business," Bryan tells Country Life with his two daughters who have joined him in making knives perched to his left."To me, it's a better thing having a family business than having a public company. You're working towards something together."Bryan's journey into knife-making took root during his college years, where a stolen project in metalworking class sparked his interest.Night classes and dedication followed, and at the age of 18, he began his journey into the art of knife making. His skills drew the attention of a seasoned knifemaker named Bohumil Nebesky, who offered Bryan invaluable lessons in both the business and the art of crafting knives on a larger scale."He offered to teach me and so then I learnt the business side of it and also the side of how to make knives on a manufacturing basis, as opposed to making them in the shed, one at a time. "That was a big boost to my business and for many years, I'd go down and see him and stay in Hamilton and learn the trade-off him."Inspired and armed with newfound knowledge, Bryan developed the iconic peasant knife in 1995, using Swedish carbon steel and the Svord brand was born.Bryan says when he started 99 per cent of knives were made with stainless steel. However, Bryan uses carbon steel stating it stays sharper for longer. Over the years, Svord expanded its offerings to include chef's knives and kitchen knives, firmly establishing its presence in the market."We've actually been recognised as one of the - probably the only company - in Australia or New Zealand, in the modern era, to start up a cutlery company and be successful at it. "There are lots of small guys, one-man operations working from home, but nothing on the scale that we got here."However, Bryan's passion for knife-making did not stop with him. His 24-year-old daughter, Kelsey, had found her way into the family business. Despite initially contemplating a career in sewing, Kelsey's hands-on nature and love for creating led her to the workshop…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details