the italian Amadeo Rossi arrived in Brazil in 1881 and opened a workshop. It became the Rossi Airguns Airsoft, a company with 132 years of success in the country.
Born in the city of Belluno, located in the region of Veneto, in Italy, today with just over 32 thousand inhabitants, Amadeo Rossi arrived in Brazil in 1881. He came with his father, Modesto Rossi, and four brothers.
Born on May 15, 1862, Amadeo Rossi was 19 years old when he came to Brazil. While the rest of the family dedicated themselves to farming, he decided to resume his job as a metallurgical, which he already worked in Italy.
Eight years after his arrival, in 1889, the year of Proclamation of the Brazilian Republic, Rossi started working in a small workshop in the city of Caxias do Sul, where the family settled in Rio Grande do Sul. At the time, he produced household utensils, riding items and agricultural instruments.
new equipment
In 1912, he joined other businessmen and reactivated the Merchants' Association, becoming one of the entity’s leaders. The following year, he also opened a blacksmith shop and a sawmill and went to Europe to order new equipment for your metallurgy.
On August 3, 1914, his father Modesto Rossi died at the age of 70. Meanwhile, its agricultural products were gaining recognition, mainly due to the metal quality used.
In 1918, still during the period of Old Republic, Rossi and his eldest sons founded the Amadeo Rossi Metallurgy and Munitions. During the same period, the factory started producing primers for hunting cartridges, a decision that would completely change the destiny of the small factory.
Amadeo Rossi changes career
With the change of segment, the company began to grow more and more, to the point where it was no longer possible to remain in Caxias do Sul. This was how, in 1937, during the establishment of the new state by Getulio Vargas, Amadeo Rossi & Co moved to São Leopoldo, also in Rio Grande do Sul, seeking better logistics and electricity supply conditions.
In 1943, still under the Estado Novo regime, but now also in the midst of Second World War, Rossi was declared an industry of national interest, starting to manufacture firearms as spitting, rifles, carbines, revolvers e Pistolas. At the same time, the company started hiring Italian engineers to work on the development of its products.
In 1956, with the death of its founder, Amadeo Rossi, his family took control of the company. In 1957, its first model of revolver was launched, the Rossi Princess, a simple action model that was very successful due to its low price. Four years later, in 1961, the first model of the air rifle Dione.
Success in new products
In this new segment, the company began to be recognized for its weapons and ammunition production line and gained new territories outside Brazil. Among its sales successes were the Puma rifles, which were replicas of the classic Winchester 1892. His revolvers were also successful due to the low price and high quality of materials, mechanisms and finishing.
Its reputation inside and outside Brazil only grew and Rossi began to export to more than 70 countries different, the main one being the United States. All this recognition earned the company the award for Best Line of Revolvers in the North American Market in 1994.
In this segment, the company continued to build its reputation and write history, until in 2007, close to its 120th anniversary, it distanced itself from firearms, selling the equipment and production rights in this sector to the Taurus. The objective was to focus on a new segment: compressed air weapons, related to sport and leisure.
Amadeo Rossi changes again
From an exporter, the company became an importer, bringing and distributing throughout the country the best products and accessories for the practice of shooting Sports. The focus may have changed, but the group continued to follow the quality and credibility that the name Amadeo Rossi has always brought.
Today, the brand is the main importer and distributor of Airguns, Airsoft and related articles from Brazil, being a commercial reference and serving the entire national territory.
Rossi has more than 1.200 items in its product line, of which 95% are imported from different countries. The company has expertise in the segment and has been developing strong partnerships with large companies in China, Taiwan, Turkey, Spain and the United States, which guarantees continuity and growth in its market.
Fruits of labor
Currently, the company maintains its original headquarters in the city of São Leopoldo, and represents several foreign manufacturers of Air pressure guns, Airsoft e sports shooting articles such as Cometa, GAMO, Hatsan, Crosman, Beeman, among others. In 2013, the company recorded revenue of R$42 million.
The factory in São Leopoldo is located on an area of 8 hectares, with 78 thousand m² of total area and 28 thousand m² of built area. Amadeo Rossi is under the command of fourth generation of the family with Luciano rossi e Claudio Rossi in the executive board, and with employees who have worked at the company for several years, such as José Ilco Doyle, general manager, and Paulo de Mattos, legal manager.
A business that maintained family and the Friends close by, as Amadeo Rossi and his father Modesto Rossi dreamed of when they arrived in Brazil at the end of the 19th century, to work and build a dignified life in your new country.
By Roberto Schiavon/Italianism
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