Klabin Irmãos & Cia

In the 19th century, the Jewish-Lithuanian immigrant Maurício Freeman Klabin founded a printing company in the city of São Paulo called Empreza Graphica Klabin. Later, the company M. F. Klabin & Irmão was founded.[4]

Around 1894, with business flourishing, Mauricio asked his parents, Leon Klabin and Chaia Sarah Papert, sister Nessel, and his fiancée, Bertha Osband, to come from Lithuania. Later, his uncle, Zelman Lafer, arrived with his son Miguel Lafer; his brothers Salomão, Hessel and Luiz Klabin came from the United States. Afterwards, his cousins Max Klabin, Wolff Kadischewitz, Lazar Kadischewitz and Henrique Kadischewitz also came to Brazil.[5][1]

In 1899, brothers and cousins of the Lafer-Klabin family founded Kablin Irmãos & Cia. (KIC) in the city of São Paulo. KIC consolidated itself into a company specialized in the manufacture of pulp and paper, making this the main branch of the group. From 1902 to 1907, KIC rented the Fábrica de Papel Paulista in Itu. In 1909, KIC established its first factory, Companhia Fabricadora de Papel, which began operating in 1914.[6]

After the first phase, the firm began to be managed by the second generation of the family. At this time, the main names were: Wolff Kadischewitz (1880–1957) and brothers Horácio Lafer (1900–1965) and Jacob Klabin Lafer (1902–1985), as well as sisters Eva Klabin (1903–1991) and Ema Klabin (1907–1994).[4] Cousin Wolff Kadischewitz became known as Klabin's Wolff and starts signing his name Wolff Kadischewitz Klabin.[1]

The leading role in the company varies over the years; while some family members start to dedicate themselves exclusively to the business of the enterprises, others end up dedicating to other activities, distancing themselves from family participation. In a third phase of the holding company, where other family members began to lead the business, Abraão Jacob Lafer (1907–1980) and the brothers Samuel Klabin (1910–1979) and Horácio Klabin (1918–1996) stood out.[4][1]

In a fourth and more recent phase, several members of the Lafer-Klabin family led the company, such as: brothers Israel Klabin (1926), Daniel Miguel Klabin (1929) and Armando Klabin (1932); sisters Sylvia Lafer (1934) and Graziela Lafer (1939); Vera Lafer (1938); Lilia Klabin (1939); Celso Lafer (1941); Horácio Lafer Piva (1957).[1]

The Klabin Group maintains the Klabin Memory Center to store the historical collections of the family and its enterprises. In addition to rescuing the company's history, the initiative keeps and cares for documents, photographs and historical records. The space, which is open to scheduled visits, is located at Augusta Zorzi Baradel Avenue, 700, Tijuco Preto neighborhood, in Jundiaí, São Paulo.[7][8]

• Maurício Freeman Klabin (Pazelva, Lithuania, March 1, 1860 – Heidelberg, September 21, 1923) arrived in Brazil in 1889, and in 1899, he founded Klabin Irmãos & Cia. along with his brothers Kessel and Salomão, and his brother-in-law Miguel Lafer. He was married to Bertha Osband.[1][9]
• Miguel Lafer (Lithuania, 1876 – São Paulo, February 12, 1926) arrived with his family in Brazil in 1894 and in 1899, he was part of the group that founded Klabin Irmãos & Cia. Married to Nessel Klabin (sister of Maurício Freeman Klabin), he was the father of Horácio Lafer (father of Sylvia Lafer and Graziela Lafer) and Jacob Klabin Lafer (father of Vera Lafer and Miguel Lafer).[1][10]
• Hessel Klabin (Lithuania, 1872 – São Paulo, November 19, 1946) arrived in Brazil with his family in the early 1890s and in 1899, he was part of the group that founded Klabin Irmãos & Cia. He was married to Fanny Gordon, who was the daughter of Jacob and Eva Gordon. They were the parents of Eva Cecília Klabin, Ema Gordon Klabin and Mina Gordon Klabin.[1][11]
• Salomão Klabin (Lithuania, September 5, 1874 – December 9, 1947) arrived with his family in Brazil in the early 1890s. He was married to Luba Segall (February 15, 1888 – São Paulo, August 26, 1968) and they were the parents of: Esther Klabin (married to Harry Jack Levine, parents of Lilia Klabin Levine), Samuel Klabin (married to Gertrud Gleich and later to Aracy Augusta Leme) and Horácio Klabin (married to Beki Alfasso and later to Silvia Correia Gonçalves); Horácio was the father of Cláudio Roberto Klabin, Paulo Eduardo Klabin and Monica Klabin.[1]

Klabin's forest seedling nursery in Telêmaco Borba, Paraná.

Partial view of the Ikapê Hotel, in Harmonia, Telêmaco Borba, Paraná.

Aiming at a shareholder structure, the Klabin Group's main enterprise is the manufacture of pulp and the production of paper, packaging board, corrugated cardboard packaging, and industrial bags. The production, development and management of forests is the responsibility of the forestry sector, such as Klabin do Paraná Produtos Florestais Ltda., located in Telêmaco Borba, with headquarters in the district of Lagoa, at Monte Alegre Farm. In the same place, the Group also maintains Klabin Fitoprodutos Ltda. for the production and sale of herbal products.[12]

The Group also sells, on a smaller scale, wood in logs and biomass. Among other projects, it maintains the Ikapê Hotel (Ikapê Empreendimentos Ltda.), in the district of Harmonia, in Telêmaco Borba, Paraná. The space is intended for hotel activity, catering and specialized gastronomy, tourism exploration and event promotion.[13][14]

In Paranaguá, also in Paraná, Klabin maintains the Unidade de Logística de Papel e Celulose, integrated with rail and road moulds, with a handling capacity of 1.5 million tons of pulp per year.[15][16] With 24,000 m² of built area, the unit inaugurated in 2016 is entirely dedicated to the flow of short fiber pulp production for export.[17][18]

At Monte Alegre Farm, mineral coal was extensively explored, and in the 1950s, Israel Klabin was one of the researchers of combustible sedimentary rock.[19][20][21] The Klabin Group also manages the Telêmaco Borba Cable Car, the Telêmaco Borba Airport, the Presidente Vargas Hydroelectric Plant,[22] the Samuel Klabin Ecological Park,[23] the Monte Alegre Farm Private Natural Heritage Reserve,[24] the Harmonia Cemetery,[25][26] the Harmonia Dam, the Dr. Horácio Klabin Stadium and the Klacel Thermal Power Plant.[27][28][29][30]

Throughout its history, Klabin has been diversifying and changing its area of operation, including mining, energy production and distribution, transportation and logistics, research and innovation, technology production and development, environmental solutions and cultural activities.[31]

• Klabin