Astigarraga Kit Line designs, manufactures and distributes trestles, furniture and storage products. Our motto is to use local and sustainable wood. Always. With no exceptions. Our distributors are the lungs of the company. Everyone: small DIY stores, hardware stores and large DIY chains. From here and from the rest of Europe. And every now and then, along the way, you come across projects that make you smile and say ‘Why not?’ Because the people who came up with the idea are our neighbours from San Sebastián, and because we have a lot in common: local knowledge with a global vision. And besides, we and they are passionate about local products, and if they’re made with sustainable wood, the satisfaction doubles. Without further ado, today we’re sharing with you that we’ve designed a surfboard rack! This new piece has been manufactured exclusively for the legendary Pukas Surf. How easy it’s been to ride this wave with their help!
Pukas is surfing
Pukas is to surfing what La Concha Bay is to San Sebastián. An emblem. For those of you who don’t know it, Pukas Surf is a family business whose founder and visionary was Iñigo Letamendia, whose surfing at La Concha changed his life when he was 20 years old. He ended his time as chief of staff in a hotel in the capital to pursue another lifestyle: he left San Sebastián to make surfboards with three friends. Back in 1973, he was already moulding the first board by hand. It was the 1970s, the years of long, tousled hair.
The seed of Pukas
A year later, he was joined by his wife Marian Azpiroz. From working as director of the same hotel, she went on to sew bikinis from the curtains in their house, then swimsuits, then surfboard covers, and the rest is history. Letamendia gave birth to a brand of surfboards under the name Jeronimo Surfboards. And in 1977 the couple opened a surf store in Zarautz, with the same name but with a G: Geronimo Surf Shop.
A lot of work and creativity
In 1979, Marian’s brother, Miguel Azpiroz, joined them, who left his job as an eel fisherman to become the third partner. The three of them promoted surf culture in Donostia, the Basque Country and beyond, and laid the foundations of Pukas (‘hole’ in Hawaiian). Surf contests, international events, a new store in San Sebastián, surf fashion, hard work and creativity led Pukas to treasure a reputation as the brand with the best surf stores in the country. Its major milestone: organising the first professional surfing competition in Spain. The best professionals in the world gathered in Zarautz. But Pukas is much more than that: it’s also the embryo of Olatu, which would soon become the leading surfboard factory in Europe, licensed to manufacture and distribute the best international brands in Europe.
Entrepreneurial spirit
When asked why Pukas was born; why surfboards; why bikini design; why create a surf school; why an online store, the answer is always the same. “We took on all of these challenges because, at the time we decided to, they didn’t exist or weren’t within our reach.” And the reason behind this surfboard storage rack has a lot to do with the entrepreneurial spirit that’s always been with them.
A local company with an international vocation
“We couldn’t find a simple, versatile, easy-to-assemble wood shelf that was made from local, sustainable wood. So we decided to look for the best partner in crime for this challenge: Astigarraga Kit Line”, the Pukas team explains. The team places high value on locally produced products and focuses its efforts on partnering with companies that share similar values. In this case, Pukas Surf and Astigarraga Kit Line are local family businesses with an international vocation and a clear commitment to the circular economy. “As far as sustainability is concerned, we couldn’t find a better partner, since Astigarraga Kit Line actively contributes to a sustainable economy, reducing its environmental impact,” they emphasise.
Surfboard storage rack
The Pukas rack is a simple rack that solves a big problem: that moment when you get home and you have to store your surfboard – which usually aren’t exactly small. The rack screws to the wall and adapts to any type of board. It facilitates not just storage, but also accessibility and displaying the board. And it will look just like a piece of furniture in your home. In this rack, you can store up to 10 surfboards. Surfing hooks you and even if you only have one board now, you’ll surely plan to add another to your collection in future.
What do you think of the Pukas story? What about the solid wood surfboard storage rack? For everyone, for dedicated fans of the waves and for those who aren’t so keen, if you travel towards one of the most beautiful cities in the world, after a visit to La Concha Bay, the next stop you have to make is at Pukas. And not just for this shelf to keep your surfboards organised and safely stored at home – for lots of other things, too. Up until you get here, we recommend a visit to their online shop.
