The History of Graffiti’s Best Spray Paint

When one thinks of spray paint nowadays they think of graffiti and vandalism however when did this become the case? When did graffiti and spray paint meet to create this unbreakable association to each other, the answer can be found in one word, Montana.

The History of Montana Colors’ Spray Paint

The history of the graffiti product starts with one company however, not many know its humble beginnings. In 1993 two Barcelona writers known as Moockie and Kapi became frustrated with the poor quality of spray paint for artists, they decided to create a brand that would change graffiti forever. The duo approached Felton, which is an aerosol producer, where they met with Jordi Rubio to pitch their idea for a line of spray paint for graffiti artist only. After a year of the idea being held on the shelf Jordi asked Kapi and Mockie to contribute their knowledge of graffiti to finally create the brand they wanted. With Jordi’s help in the spray paint department the first Original Montana Spray paint was made. Nonetheless the factory that provided the cans didn’t feel like there was true money to be made in the endeavor, so Jordi, Kapi, and Moocki went off and founded Spanish Montana. In 1994 the duo created an event called “Aerosol Art,” which brought artists all over to introduce the Montana brand. Soon after Montana created new and improved spray cans which spread the word that Barcelona was the place to be if you wanted high quality paint for a very cheap price. Artists from around the world would come and pack trucks full of paint which in turn only advertised the brand even more. With the rise of their new product many companies became interested in the opportunity to make even more money. However, the trio was wary of over expansion, they feared that branching out would hurt the integrity of their product. Nonetheless the friends began licensing foreign distributors to help meet demands overseas. This leads use to German Montana otherwise known as Montana Cans.

The History of Montana Cans’ Spray Paint

Montana cans started out as a German company called L&G founded in 1996 by Ruediger Latz and Tim Lati. In 1997 the company convinced Spanish Montana to give exclusive distribution rights for Montana paint in Germany. The company did so well in distributing that Montana give them the rights to distribute throughout Europe. At this point there are speculations on what is actually true, but what is said is L&G conspired with Dupli-Color a multinational corporation to manufacture and label “Montana Cans” without “Spanish Montana.” Dupli-Color then tries to acquire Spanish Montana in efforts to manufacture Montana paint without Ruediger Latz and Tim Lati by going to Jordi and offering to buy the company. Dupli-Colors getting denied their offer team back up with L&G and begin to manufacture duplicate cans of Montana paint under a slightly different name but targeting Spanish Montana’s customers. This chain of events soon started to explode with rumors and allegations which Montana cans (German Montana) claimed that the Spanish Montana contained illegal amounts of lead and was poisonous. The company then arranged a public inspection of Spanish Montana’s factory adding to the rumors. With no luck of scaring the original Montana into somehow gaining rights to the Montana brand. German Montana in 2001 finds a company in a Switzerland that already owns the rights to the “Montana” name which they offer royalties for the use of. Later on in 2003 the German Montana releases there product called Montana Gold which turns out to be a high quality paint with a Can that was more sensitive and controllable for artists. As the German Brand of Montana grew and grew with ads and marketing all over the world claiming to be the best spray paint in the business, the original Montana began to be hidden in its shadow.

Montana Cans VS Montana Colors

In 2004 the original Montana began labeling there Cans “MTN” to clear up confusion between the two brands. However, with the German brand being able to reach distribute and manufacture on different level, the company is reaching a wider audience and has now made its way into the US art essential stores nationwide. Nonetheless even though Montana-Cans does now appear to have a better quality spray paint for those in the know Spanish Montana is the first, true Graffiti Paint. A brand that was conceived by graffiti artist for graffiti artist, the original Montana that you should support!