Live for memories

Who better than our founder and President, Patrice Guénolé, to tell you the story of GONG? Listen to his full interview.

A collaboration between GONG and MORDU.

The 90S: GONG's creation

Founded in the mid-90s, GONG was developed by the ACE workshop in La Baule to become its own brand within the Breton Magic Surf store network.

GONG's goal was to offer high-end boards at a competitive price to attract a broad yet demanding clientele.

Initially, GONG crafted boards using EPS, epoxy, and PVC sandwich construction, which was extremely rare in 1996. The vast majority of workshops only offered PU boards. However, EPS was the solution for making boards more dynamic and increasing volume without adding excessive weight. The shapes had to adapt to the changing and sometimes messy conditions of Brittany. Efficiency was the sole objective, the foundation of GONG's "thinking outside the box" spirit.

Then, by reducing intermediaries, a principle of the brand, to keep prices low on top-notch technology. GONG's DNA was born.

By the end of the 90s, ACE was forced to close due to tampering at a factory, leading to small-scale production in Asia until 2003. Then came the acquisition of the Magic Surf network by the H2O Group and its incredible development, which benefited GONG. With such a presence, it was easy to offer great boards at an excellent price.

In the early 2000s, GONG was 100% surf. Easy-to-use, high-performing, and always accessible shapes, but the brand struggled without significant investment. The arrival of Patrice Guénolé, nicknamed "L’Ours," at H2O in 2002/2003 woke it up with the launch of large-scale sandwich production. Success in stores was immediate.

Fred Meunier & Patrice Guénolé 22 years later.

2006: Believing in the potential of SUP

Patrice Guénolé used to surf big boards to reach his offshore spot. These longboards allowed him to paddle fast and stand up to see far ahead, so SUP was a natural progression. The addition of the paddle provided a perfect power supplement to handle these large boards. Along with his team, they were among the few to believe in it. Most of those who now praise SUP once viewed it as a threat in the lineup.

However, at GONG, we believed in it because we practiced it daily and knew the enjoyment potential of this new sport. It goes without saying that Laird Hamilton wasn't paddling such boards just for the sake of images. The pleasure and performance were there. The one known as “L’Ours” became the first in the world in 2006 to create a series-molded SUP board. He released a 7'7 board in 2007, a race board in 2007, and a range of 15 shapes in 2008.

With Stéphane from Select, they created a high-performance paddle model, the first of its kind. At that not-so-distant time, today's major brands were still debating whether they should dive in. Yet SUP is fantastic, and Patrice Guénolé was determined to show that you could maneuver a SUP board, create modern shapes, and perform a variety of engaging moves.

He also decided to explain the sport and showcase it in various ways through images. Showing was the best way to silence the skeptics. Being a surfer at heart, he personally engaged in communicating the surfing spirit of GONG. It was he who meticulously detailed 200 maneuvers in our "How To" guides, embodying our commitment to sharing the surfing experience.

2007: The spirit of pioneers

While nobody believed in this concept, and the surf industry tried to keep this sport to an inner market, GONG created a community of ambassadors, and together they developed a spirit of sharing around a beautiful vision. To be on the water 365 days a year and to share memorable moments together, quite simply. GONG’s promise was born.

As GONG was created in Brittany, then redeveloped in Marseille, it was quite disruptive in the world of surfing. But surfing is not just about Biarritz, as the history of French surfing demonstrates. So deliberately provocative, GONG shakes up the sport’s establishment to prove that whether in Marseille or Hawaii, this sport is legitimate. Why? Because wherever you are, this sport is fabulous. Goodbye to the snobbery of surf elitists, and long live the fun.

The color red became a banner, accompanied by the Flame Ball, an invasive image to mark this pioneering and disruptive spirit.

Patrice Guénolé and his team toured surf trade shows in the USA to show off their shapes. They competed in Makaha, Hawaii, and get noticed. They went to California to test prototypes and meet positive new faces. This is the time when they compare their shapes with Hobie at the bottom of Hobie Alter Jr’s garden, with C4, and with Yolo. It’s a fun, cool time when the GONG men surfed at Trestel with CJ Nelson and the great names of surfing. You could talk about shapes with Greg Noll. Each participant was well aware that they need the support of each other to make SUP known.

2008 : The huge adventure of direct sales online

In 2008, the H2O Group faced difficulties, and the shareholders decided to sell off and dismantle the group. In this period of uncertainty, some competitors smelled an opportunity and pounced on the prey: all means were fair game to try to pillage GONG.

Patrice Guénolé and his team were ousted, but the Bear lived up to his nickname: he wouldn't give up. Patrice decided to buy back GONG and redevelop it with his own (limited) means. It wasn't easy to build a company with a brand on the rise but with no resources and almost the entire industry against him.

But step by step, Patrice resolved the issues, accompanied by his lifelong friends. The company wasn't making enough to pay itself, had no staff due to lack of resources, but it operated and slowly grew.

The Bear set up a shaping workshop in Bastia, Corsica, isolated, to work on the shortSUP. Already in 2009, shaping could be done 100% on a computer by sending 3D files to factories in China, which replicated them to the millimeter. All that was needed was to test them and validate production. But the Bear chose to restart GONG from scratch, or nearly, for the third time, with hand tools. He believed it was the path he needed to take to lay the solid foundations of his personal financial investment. When you want to do good work, you have to get your hands dirty.

GONG grew slowly, but the banks didn't come through. The factories were unreliable and manipulated. But no matter what happened, GONG bounced back. Why? Because behind GONG, there were no big capitals, but there were thousands of people pushing. 20,000 people have been GONG customers since 2003. And beyond pure business, GONG is above all a cutting-edge, fun, and innovative mindset. Some people really love this unique concept and provide the energy needed to achieve great things.

2008 – 2015: Rollercoaster

Patrice did everything by himself and delegated or automated trade-related tasks as much as possible in order to free up time to shape.

Step 1 between 2008 and 2009 was to focus 200% on prototypes. Two hepatitis from resin intoxication incidents later, Patrcie was ready to change the line-up and show what he thought modern SUP should look like.

Betrayed by “local” factories, he went to China to visit dozens of factories, train teams on site, and improved production that holds up to the GONG standard. The 2011 range was born. Almost 30 SUP boards, 8 ShortSUP shorter than 7’0, radical LongSUPs and more powerful than real longboards … The new generation was there.

Well, almost there.. Then Banque Corse reneged on the deal and crashed the entire production. It took 6 months of work to overcome this new obstacle and bring the series boards to customers.

The range expanded in 2012 thanks to the assistance of Banque Populaire Atlantique in Saint Nazaire. And above all thanks to the confidence of those people who did not hesitate to pay the equipment in advance to obtain it and thus help the financing of our containers.

2013 was a new year. The year that took us to the next level, we kept offering products at record prices, constantly improving quality, focusing on service, and boosting other sports we have always loved.

2014, 2015 were years of strong growth that brought GONG back to 2007 (around one million Euros). It took some time to get back in the running!

Hard work pays off

2016: GONG relaunches production in Europe

2016 saw the catastrophic fall of the dollar.

A 20% margin that went up in smoke for nothing, and therefore, caused big difficulties in financing. This is when Patrice Guénolé revived its production in Europe. First by producing in a workshop in Portugal, then supporting the creation of one of the largest factories in Europe, also in Portugal.

Patrice brought all the technology, processes and discipline. The factory grew fast, probably too fast, and reached a plateau in the face of ever-increasing demand. Only 18% of orders were honored. A real disappointment that showed the limits of relocation when large-scale know-how had been lost.

2016 was also the year GONG started up its surf foil workshop in France. Excellence in R&D, top-of-the-line molds, meticulous technology, the product was superb. This would be the starting point for the relaunch of production in France and the GONG workshop in France was reborn.

2017: GONG Revives the manufacturing of boards in France

2017, l’Ours revived the manufacturing of boards in France, in his own factory. Of course, at the very top of the range, 200 boards made for professionals and relatives, but that’s exactly what was missing in the GONG range at the time, boards Made in France.

2018: A significant acceleration

2018 offers a considerable acceleration with more than 4 000 000 € in turnover. It's a small commercial success, but above all it's the recognition of the relevance of a model by customers. Direct sale from producer to end-user is beginning to gain in significance and popularity.

2019: The wingfoil boom

2019 marks a new record-breaking year, enabling us to embark on significant initiatives to fortify the foundations of GONG and forge deeper connections with our community. Plans for an expansive shop nestled within the bustling heart of the surfing scene are meticulously crafted with the aim of providing an even wider array of options and enjoyment for our users. Concurrently, we are in the midst of experimenting, testing, and advancing a support system set to revolutionize the experience for countless passionate surfers. This, of course, refers to the wing foil, quietly gaining momentum but already commanding substantial investment in research and development from GONG. Swiftly, we unveil the complete gear package, empowering early adopters to immerse themselves in this sport brimming with potential.

2020 : The COVID years

2020 is a year of challenges where GONG demonstrates its strength of character and the resilience of its model in an economy that is being shaken by the pandemic. Our main challenge is to respond to demand which follows the trajectory of previous years in a context where production is regularly shut down and where carriers can no longer ensure their usual efficiency. Everything costs us more, requires more effort and precision but we manage, thanks to methods and tools that we have considerably optimized, to conclude the year with a new record result, thousands of satisfied customers and a workforce stronger than ever.

2021: From 12 to 80 staff members

2021 continues to bring specialization in methods and tools. In particular thanks to the many talents who join the staff. We went from 12 employees two years earlier to nearly 80 during the 2021 peak season! Integration and development work which allows us to still ensure today the high level of requirements and the strong demand from the ever-increasing number of board sports enthusiasts who choose GONG for their sessions.

The strength of our model is being able to quickly transform an idea into an effective product on the water. The growth of our workforce in 2021 consolidates this essential aspect of our operation. GONG is a real driving force in the board sports market with products that make a name like the HIPE, the first inflatable wing board unveiled in 2020 and which has imitated ever since.

2022: Creation of the GONG Space Center

The year 2022 will have been marked by the creation of the GONG Space Center. A true temple of boardsports which accommodates different spaces: a 1000 m² surf shop, 400 m² of shaping workshops, a warehouse full of equipment, a gigantic photo studio, offices which overlook the shop but also a restaurant-bar open to all and a fitness room also accessible to you. And an exceptional working tool for our staff which grows from year to year.

2023: GONG is on the top of the world

Malo Guénolé enters 2023 as the reigning Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion and this is only the beginning. 2023 a year that sees Bastien Escofet, Clément Hamon, Julien Rattotti, Max Robinson, Francesco Cappuzzo enter the pro team. The highest level in the world joins GONG to win titles but also to help develop incredible equipment for all of you. With the best riders in the world, GONG develops a range of “Team Series” wings, made available for sale by pre-order, to allow everyone to benefit from the most cutting-edge innovations in real time.

2024: Live for it

Since its creation in 1996, GONG has continued to evolve, while retaining its values. We have grown, year after year, to affirm what makes us exist: the intense sharing of our passion with as many people as possible.

Every board, every wing, every foil, every piece of equipment, every innovation, every piece of advice is imbued with this passion, this strength, the DNA that defines us.

2024 is very clear in what GONG offers you: incredible emotions! Our visual identity is evolving to make room for our promise: Live for it.

Thanks

A big thank you to all our users for believing in what we do and sharing our “Live for it” values.

Thank you to the people who directly or indirectly allowed GONG to exist: Thierry Dumon, Jean Michel Germanangues, David Vincent, Fred Meunier, Pascal Trimoreau, Stéphane Mocher, Alain Clémenti, Didier Corre, Xavier Rolland, Hubert D'Heilly, Delphine Chauveau and many others.

Thank you also to everyone who supports GONG with their energy and ideas:

Colas Nahaboo, Didier D’Hervez, Jean Paul Averty, Jean Louis Bernard, Benjamin English, Pascal Brec, Patrick Kruithof.

Thank you to all the Ambassadors and Riders who helped raise the awareness of GONG:

Fred Compagnon, Romain Maurin and his father FX, Antoine Albeau, Antoine Delperro, Correntin Chardin, Hugues Oyarzabal, Niko Denard, Jess and Boris Thouin, Marianne Bellegarde, Fleur Caulliez, Mikael Pontaud, Moritz Mauch, Xavier Leroy, Ingrid Ulrich and many others.

Thank you to all our Team Riders for sharing our Live for it spirit all over the world and who have brought GONG to the highest global level: Malo Guénolé, Airton Cozzolino, Francesco Cappuzzo, Bastien Escofet, Julien Rattotti, Clément Hamon, Mathieu Fouliard, Evelin Neves, Pamella Ayres, Guillaume Colin, Moritz Mauch, Vilayta and all those who follow them.

Thank you to our major business partners who are for us much more than simple commercial relationships: FCS, Surf Lounge, Société Générale, Banque Populaire, HSBC, CIC, Cabinet Exco, our factories with whom we often have a very close bond and friendship. It’s been strong for all these years.

Thank you to all the GONG staff who achieve the feat of serving you to the highest level of standards. And thank you to Patrice Guénolé, our Founder and President, for taking us on board every day thanks to his creativity, his determination and his absolute passion for our sports.

Special mention to Thierry Dumon cited above. Without his total investment in our sports, none of this would have been possible. Thierry had no passion for our sports but it was he who supported the rise of GONG from 2002 to 2008 with his personal funds. With debts and lawsuits as the final reward, he is the one who made the most impact on the story of GONG.

A huge thought to our deceased friends, who in their own way helped GONG in this magnificent journey: Stéphane Brec, Pierre Agnès, Guy Ringrave.

Live for memories