São Paulo – Darning and embroidery thread and ribbons are sold by Leopoldo.

Relocation to Gaspar: The affection between the brothers Leopoldo and Lúcia (the wife of Júlio Schramm, a merchant from Gaspar) brings Círculo to the city.

The dream of producing handcraft yarn come true. It is born the company “Leopoldo Schmalz & Cia Ltda” in January 23rd, 1938.

Picture: House provided by Júlio Schramm for the factory. Current 342, Cel. Aristiliano Ramos Street.

Círculo wins the first prize on a samples exhibition, in the state of Santa Catarina. Cerzir thread (for socks sewing) and Mouline (for embroidery)

Building of the new facilities at 360, Dr. Nereu Ramos Street. Círculo has its own land and high expectations.

23 more employees are hired by the “new factory”, getting a total of 45 employees in this year. It´s time to double the production area.

Second World War Crisis. Prohibition of importing machines and rationing of fuel and electricity. Círculo has a head start with technology powered by steam.

All the 68 employees are on the picture.

The company “Leopoldo Schmalz & Cia” changes its name to “Indústria de Linhas Leopoldo Schmalz S/A”. Círculo products are greatly accepted by the Brazilian market. New material and products for knitting, crochet and embroidery are being produced.

Cléa and Anne, female German names, make history in the fashion crochet market. Glacê has been launched and becomes a success in record time.

Research and assembly of new machines.

Círculo reaches an enviable position in the market. In addition to the fact that the company has its own resources, Círculo also serves the regional industrial park, through services made in the factory.

Centenary of the parish church of Gaspar. Círculo is the highlight on an agribusiness exhibition.

Círculo celebrates 25 years.

Círculo gives the biggest step to self-sufficiency: the factory starts to produce its own yarn made from cotton lint.

The purchase of a new machine for manufacturing of plastic materials. That fact is the inception of Plasvale, founded in 1977.

“Indústria de Linhas Leopoldo Schmalz S/A”

Products:

Embroidery thread – 5 options
Sewing thread – 10 different products
Crochet yarn – 6 options in 57 colors
Knitting yarn – Torçal Raion – 48 colors
Cotton lace – “Bilro”
Rayón elastic – 8 options
Sacks twine and thread – 9 options

In December 23rd, Leopoldo Jorge Theodoro Schmalz (founder of Círculo) receives from the community the title of Honorary Citizen of Gaspar (Law nº382).

Círculo products, huge success all over Brazil, naturally reach the Latin America market. Paraguayan and Bolivian people come to Brazil to purchase Círculo´s “hilo”, that was even the most used in those countries.

New blood happens to influence Círculo´s shares. Leopoldo Adolfo, with his father, monitors the daily routine of the factory, becoming president of the company in 1977. A new organizational system is introduced.

The “Associação Recreativa Círculo” (ARCI) energizes sports and leisure in Gaspar.

Modernization of the lab and dyeing department. The company has now 1.600 employees.

Handcraft courses in stores and TV commercials trigger a big amount of sales.

The “Semana Interna de Proteção de Acidentes de Trabalho – Sipat”. Graduation by CIPA.

Expansion of the local market, with new regional offices in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Recife.

The foreign trade department is created, facilitating the exportation to Europe, Asia, North and South America.

The floods of Itajaí Açu river catastrophically hits Círculo´s facilities. Government measures, of financial and tax order, cause a severe financial crisis to be overcome.

Administrative and financial restructuring. A team effort has to be made. Círculo settles the arrangement before the expected legal time.

Círculo exports 1 million kilos to Belgium, Italy, Germany, Japan, United States, Canada and more.

“Linhas Círculo” – half-century coloring emotions.
Launch of the knitting yarns Mollet, Exuberance and Melange in a wonderful event called Mil Tramas.
The board organizes a special event to thank the employees: “50 years of effort brought us here. The perseverance will take us beyond”.

The Cléa Trophy is given in the National Sales Contest.

An effluent treatment station is implanted.

Schools in Santa Catarina start to host social projects offered by Círculo, which include free knitting and crochet courses to the students of municipal schools

A needles factory is born in Círculo. From that moment, the company starts to produce its own knitting and crochet needles.

Circulo renews and expands its sales force by 50%.

The resale of polypropylene yarn starts in this year.

Círculo innovates in the tapestry market by launching an exclusive multicolor yarn: Barroco.

Launch of the winter yarn collection with diversified yarns for knitting

Needles, sewing and towels accessories increase the variety of products, starting then the Accessories Sector.

Respecting the environment, the company started the Dye Clean process, reusing the coloring baths for some yarns. This process helps Círculo to cause less impact on the environment. The first colors to have the process implanted were the red ones, 6 in total. Círculo is one of the pioneers in that field.

Círculo becomes the leading company in the winter yarn market.

The partnership with renowned fashion designers leads Círculo to the catwalks of the most important fashion weeks of the country.

Círculo empowers its digital presence by creating a blog and social media channels.

The company reinvents the knitting by creating lace and fabric to knit. Renda Tricô and Tecido Tricô are exclusive products, internationally patented by Círculo.

Four years after the Dye Clean process implementation, Círculo has now 33 colors that have reuse of coloring baths. This process reduces the disposal of organic and inorganic products.

Once more Círculo innovates by launching Couro Tricô, a synthetic leather strap that can be used for knitting.

The company has 35 thousand m², being the biggest industrial park of yarns for handcraft in South America and having 1.200 employees.

Innovation Champions Award.

Circulo innovates and begins to launch the color of the year defined by Pantone, in its product line. The first tone released was Marsala.

The Asian technique of amigurumi is popularized in Brazil by Circulo. The release of Amigurumi yarn and step-by-step patterns makes the company highly recognized in the segment.

Circulo celebrates 80 years on the market with the release of a special red color called Circulo red. The special photoshoot for this campaign was carried out inside the factory with employees who are part of Circulo’s history.

Circulo enlarges the Amigurumi line introducing Amigurumi Maxi, the thickest 100% mercerized cotton yarn on the market, more than twice the thickness of the traditional Amigurumi and adds Amigurumi Soft: unique softness and the largest color options on the market with 60 colors available!

The Amigurumi line gets a new member: Amigurumi Pelucia which was a successful release. This new member has arrived to present another surprising option to the handmade universe with high quality and softness. The greatest differential is the velvety touch, which leaves any creation with the cozy feel of a Teddy Bear. Amigurumi Pelucia is 100% polyester, has excellent yardage and is perfect for super cute amigurumis in crochet and knitting. Available in 34 beautiful colors! This yarn has come to the market to be added as another amazing option and it has been used in projects of many artisans within Brazil!

Circulo increases the Amigurumi line and releases Amigurumi Glow! This yarn has arrived to make all handmade designs much more glamorous, unique, and amazing with high quality, beauty, and innovation! The great differential is the fiber which is composed of a material that Glows IN THE DARK! Amigurumi Glow was developed to create entire pieces or details entering the market as another amazing option for your handmade creations!

Círculo reaches 40 countries with its export core. In addition, the company is present on 5 continents and has already more than 60 distributors around the world. The internationalization of the brand is one of our priorities to take Circulo around the world. The Internationalization process expansion started in 1972 and has not stopped since. We have participated in the best-known international tradeshows in the industry seeking for innovation and market update for more than five years.

Life cycles end everywhere including at Circulo. In 2023, we say goodbye to a remarkable and successful chapter. José Altino Comper, with 34 years of dedication to the company, including 14 as CEO, leaves an invaluable legacy.

In September 2023, he passed the baton to Osni de Oliveira Junior, who joined as an intern in 1999 and, since 2018, led the Marketing department. With international experience in Japan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Germany, Osni has enriched its global vision and strengthened Circulo’s presence on social media, bringing Círculo even closer to clients.

With this transition, Círculo begins a new chapter, committed to excellence and innovation. We thank José Altino Comper for his leadership and welcome Osni de Oliveira Junior, confident that his talent will continue to drive the success of this company that values customers and employees. Together, we will write the next chapters of this successful journey.

This is a year of major product releases and historic milestones.

Círculo adds 32 new colors to the Amigurumi yarn palette, making it the most complete on the market: now featuring 100 shades. The new colors, selected with the help of a team of Amigurumi artisan crafters, are launched during the grand Amigurumi Day event.

Círculo also introduces Cléa Duplo, a new addition to the Cléa family, the brand's most traditional yarn. Cléa Duplo is 100% mercerized cotton, thicker compared to the traditional version, with a unique twist, more glow and enhanced structure.

PARTNERSHIP WITH SANRIO

In 2025, Círculo established a groundbreaking partnership with Sanrio, the Japanese brand and one of the world’s largest licensors. This collaboration represented a new chapter in the company’s history, bringing together the world of crafts with the charm and charisma of one of the most beloved characters in the world: Hello Kitty.

The partnership led to the launch of exclusive and licensed products, including several Amigurumi and embroidery kits, accessories such as scissors and crochet hooks, as well as digitally printed fabrics. These releases expanded Círculo’s reach and reinforced its commitment to offering creative and inspiring innovations to the market, while building emotional connections with multiple audiences and valuing the originality, quality and tradition of handmade craftsmanship