If you want more great tradition and authenticity are the principles that have been guiding Le Creuset’s since 1925. With their fresh concepts and outstanding craftsmanship the Le Creuset Company is still highly competitive today.
The Le Creuset factory store was formed in Fresnoy-le-Grand, France. The founders Armand Desaegher, a casting specialist, and Octave Aubecq, an enameling expert, recognized that this town was on the main routes for iron, coke and sand. The main ingredients they would need to produce a cast iron cookware coated by a porcelain enamel glaze. That first year the signature French oven or cocotte was developed sparking the beginning of a massive line of kitchen cookware and utensils.
Aubecq and Desaegher relished the idea that they could pigment the enamel glaze with the beautiful flame orange hue of molten cast iron inside a cauldron (“creuset” in French). This gorgeous flame orange color mixed with a sea grey became the company's signature color, and is still the color of choice today.
An early expansion of their product line and continual focused efforts on improving the cast iron for the cookware helped aid the factory store through the very troubling times of the Second World War.
After the Second World War the cookware company began to expand. A buy out of the legendary Les Hauts Fourneaux Cousances Company a major competitor in 1957. This purchase added the fondue set and grill model provided a new style and variety to their product range. The very next year in 1958 they hired the famous designer Raymond Loewy who designed the coca cola bottle. He produced the streamlined Coquelle French oven model. Another famous designer Enzo Mari created a different handle shape for the traditional cocotte giving it a distinct new look in 1972.
In 1974 the Le Creuset Company formed a subsidiary in South Carolina. With this the cookware company has grown to over 20 outlets in the United States. Hallen International Inc. makers of wine accessories was purchased in 1991 along with the well known Screwpull trademark.
Stainless steel, stoneware, silicone, enamel on steel, textiles and forged hard-anodized aluminum products were added in 1995. Although factory store is well known for their French pieces, they have expanded into a variety of cultures. While the the finest cuisine and French style are still embraced they have opened up an impressive international line. This international line consist of such products as an Indian karahi dish, a Moroccan tagine, a Japanese sukiyaki pan, an Italian risotto pot and the cast iron wok.
Some processes of production have under gone modernization; the qualities of handmade and very beautiful cookware are still intact. The original foundry is still used to manufacture the cast iron. Each piece goes through a skilled artisan’s inspection that yields a perfect piece every time.
Le Creuset maintains innovation, quality, originality, authenticity and consistency to produce a worldwide leading cookware product that has no rival. With a wide variety of quality original products one just can’t go wrong with the purchase of a beautiful handcrafted cookware that is far superior to any other brand.