THE STORY OF REED MAKING…

It all started with Joseph Rico (1876-1957).

Born in Italy in 1876, Joseph Rico first showed his musical talent at the seminary near Naples.
Time passes and young Joesph and his brother Libereto decide to run away from school; one night they escape from school, board a ship and set off towards the world of opportunities, the United States of America...

Joseph plays the harp, piano and guitar; Libereto plays the mandolin and violin.
As a result of their hard work, they soon became well-known musicians in Chicago and New York.

In the short time that followed, Joseph Rico was both creating works and conducting; a few years later, he went to Paris, where he would later be known as a famous composer.
(**Today, we still enjoy listening to and feeling the waltz music composed by Joseph Rico.)

In 1926, his nephew Frank De Michele, who played clarinet at Walt Disney Studios, complained to his uncle Joseph about the difficulty of finding quality reeds in Los Angeles and wrote, 'Uncle Joe, you have a very good place in the Paris music market now and I'm sure you can find some good reeds for me...

Joseph finds the reeds for his nephew and sends them to him, but 3 weeks later his nephew writes to him again; 'My friends really liked the reeds you sent and unfortunately I don't have any left, can you send me some more?'

After several similar letters, Joseph's reed supplier tells him that he is no longer able to make reeds due to the shortage of raw reeds, which upsets Joseph because his nephew wants him to at least send him raw reeds...

Joesph found beautiful reeds in the Var city of France, where he would later own a country house, and in 1928 he sent his first load of 350 kg of reed to America, to his nephew Frank...

After the straws reach his nephew, Frank states that he wants to write his name, Rico, on the straws to honor his uncle.

Shortly afterwards, Frank and his four partners, musicians and engineers, laid the foundations of the Rico reed factory...

"WHERE EVERYTHING STARTED: Reed"

Making the best reeds requires the best reeds. For Rico, producing the best reeds is of great importance. These reeds have been grown in the reeds he owns in France and Argentina for over 30 years. Being the only company in the world that produces 100% of its own reeds ensures that every detail in the production phase is unique.

You may be surprised to learn that it takes at least 2 years for a mature reed to form before harvest. During this period, reeds that do not reach the required size are hand-picked and separated one by one; only suitable reeds are left to mature. Harvesting is done by hand in the winter and this process takes about 2-3 months.

Post-harvest processes are sunbathing, drying, cutting and storage, respectively.

Our clarinet and saxophone musician friends can be happy to know that Rico doesn't have to rush into making reeds because these musician-friendly reeds, with effort put into every detail, are our passion...

A FRESH START

In 2004, Rico joined D'addario & Co., the world's leading manufacturer of musical instrument accessories.

Innovation and quality are a passion for the D'addario family, who own and manage their business. Research and development are D'addario's strongest assets.

The engineering department, headed by James D'Addario, holds many important production and product patents.

The end of the 1960s brought a new generation to the D'addario family with John D'addario. John D'addario's five children were no strangers to wire work, even when they were young they helped the generation before them.

They all describe gathering around the kitchen table, drinking coffee, watching "The Honeymooners" and helping to wrap and package the wires.

As a result, D'addario has instilled millions of dollars of technology and quality control into Rico.
Every step and detail from reed cultivation to reed making machines has been redeveloped.

Rico's passion for quality and dedication to art has created a revolution among musicians. Rico is the reed of choice for clarinet and saxophone players playing in the most important and prestigious symphony orchestras, conservatories and jazz clubs around the world.

In 2006 Rico developed the world's most precise, fully automatic reed making machine. The measurement tolerance of each reed is thinner than the thickness of a human hair. Each reed is smooth, soft and perfectly polished to ensure it lies flat on your mouthpiece,

In the words of Jim D'addario; 'My mission was to have Rico make the best rods. With an investment of over ten (10) million dollars, the Rico factory was renovated and as a result Rico now produces the most consistent rods in the world.'