JRC was founded in 1992 in Hatfield Peverel, Essex, by friends David Rudin, William Jelbart, Jeffrey Powell, and John Campbell. Originally the company produced a range of bedchairs, designed to be reliable and practical on the bank. With its slogan of ‘expect more’, JRC sets itself an incredibly high standard that it routinely meets. Coming from a great heritage of carp enthusiasts, JRC believe in producing functional, reliable gear. They deliver on this promise, consistently producing high performance products at a fair price designed with carp fishing in mind.
The Cocoon bedchair was the first in the range, in a time when the company was managed by Jeff Powell. Powell was directly involved with the design of this bedchair. The success of this chair spurred him to produce another chair, which was to make the company famous. The Stealth bedchair was light-weight and low-level, a unique combination on the market at the time.
In the eight years that followed, the product range expanded with the success of the brand. 2000 saw the launch of some pivotal products in the range, including the re-mastered Cocoon bedchair. Terry Hearn’s involvement with the brand meant that the new Cocoon sported his name, along with his expert modifications. This is just one example of an angling great working closely with the brand, and in fact all of the products in JRC’s catalogue are designed with the help of dedicated professionals in the carp tackle industry. The English Pro-Team currently includes Roy Allen and Richard Seeds, who have both been fishing since they could hold a rod. Allen’s catches include England’s heaviest carp since the death of Two Tone.
At this time JRC also launched the STI Brolly, as well as the Quad and Skyliner rods. The launch of these rods marked a serious move into the tackle element of the business, where before the company was best known for its bank side furniture. The portfolio now includes bite indicators, nets, rod supports, and carp care products, along with a wide range of bivvies, sleeping bags, and accessories.
In 2007, the company was acquired by the Shakespeare brand. This lead to its first move away from its Essex home, and the company relocated to Reddich, Worcestershire. At the same time, it joined the portfolio of brands under Pure Fishing Inc, where it remains to this day. One move later, JRC is now permanently based in Alnwick, Northumberland.
Despite these moves, the ethos of JRC has remained true to its roots and is as powerful today as it was over two decades ago when the company was first founded. They still aim to design and develop intelligent products that routinely outperform the offerings from other brands on the market, and the slogan ‘expect more’ really expresses that sentiment.
The JRC YouTube channel (JRCcarpTV) features regular videos demonstrating the best and latest products the company has to offer. The ‘Essential Tactics’ series offers excellent tips and tricks that will inspire even the most experienced carper. JRC produce videos in multiple languages, so anglers around the world can benefit from the advice in them. The JRC website is also available to view in a number of European languages, demonstrating the real spread of appeal this company has.