Guide to flatware

Polished to perfection

As innovative as ever, cutlery manufacturers are delivering top-tier assortments for buyers. We take a look at just some on the market, catering for everything from highend hospitality to casual dining at home

Beatriz Ball

Beatriz Ball

Beatriz Ball’s VIDA bamboo flatware set comprises of 18-8 stainless steel with natural bamboo handles. The set includes a dinner fork, salad fork, soup spoon, dinner knife and teaspoon. Packaged in a branded gift box, the bamboo flatware finds a perfect match in the company’s three-piece Bamboo dinnerware assortment in luxury melamine. Beatriz Ball also introduces VIDA Flatware Set of 20 (Sage), a 20-piece flatware set composed of 18/0 stainless steel with moulded sage-coloured handles. Contains a total of four 5-piece place settings; each includes a dinner fork, salad fork, soup spoon, dinner knife and teaspoon.

Wholesale.beatrizball.com

owner and founder

Is anything in particular impacting the production of flatware for your company?

None of us is immune to supply chain issues and rising prices, but we are fortunate in that we have plenty of flatware in stock right now. In fact, we’re offering our sage flatware at very attractive introductory pricing.

How are you dealing with these challenges?

We are diligent in placing orders well in advance to always have product in the pipeline.

Is how we use cutlery changing as people continue to embrace a more relaxed style of dining?

It has been brought to our attention that the salad fork is disappearing from some assortments, but we proudly include the utensil in our sets. Besides salads, they’re great for desserts and are the perfect size for children’s smaller hands.

What types of finishes are you finding most popular with consumers? PVD finishes have been very popular in recent years, is that still the case?

Though it never really went away in smart circles, bamboo is enjoying newfound popularity as part of the growing “grandmillennial” trend and a rediscovery of opulent décor. We are selling a lot of bamboo flatware because it works so well with our matching bamboo melamine.

How often do you find, on average, consumers replace or add to their cutlery assortment?

We are making our first forays into the world of flatware but are encouraged by the enthusiastic reaction we’ve received.

Cutlery in stainless steel and silver is ideal for any occasion, but for an elegant autumnal feel, knives, forks and spoons in matt copper or black are a perfect choice. Glasses and table accessories can be real features too: add bright splashes of autumn colours to your table and home with folded fabric napkins in rust-orange, matt copper-coloured or black – visit Villeroy & Boch to see their full assortment of stylish cutlery options.

www.villeroy-boch.com

Haviland

Effé 1875 is recognised for its excellence: the brand adorns the most beautiful tables in France and around the world. The Palmeraie flatware collection pairs perfectly with the latest collection from Haviland, Réves du Nil.

www.haviland.fr

Elia

A welcome addition to Elia’s diverse cutlery offering, Clara is timeless in its bold simplicity. Designed with clean fluid lines and a handsome profile, the generous handle ensures it is a real pleasure to hold. Finished in 18/10 stainless steel, this range has proven popular in both the retail and catering markets with its truly sophisticated design.

Clara cutlery is launching in a new stylish black and silver 24-piece gift box set for retail. Each gift set includes six table knives, six table forks, six dessert spoons and six tea spoons.

Meanwhile, Elia’s Maypole Cutlery has proven popular with its unique and striking design. Fully forged in 18/10 stainless steel and manufactured to an exceptional specification, Maypole features modestly tapered cylindrical handles, encircled with a delicate band.

www.elia.co.uk

Robert Welch

From the experts at Robert Welch, the Radford cutlery assortment is a modern English design classic, often described as “perfection in the hand”. It is the largest range of stainless steel cutlery in the world with more than 70 individual pieces, including useful everyday pieces to appeal to both consumers and hospitality customers.

Radford cutlery owes its origins to the contours and balance of traditional 18th century cutlery, a heritage imbued with timeless appeal. It is a perfect example of a modern classic with a large variety of additional pieces to choose from such as the cheese knives, carving sets, grapefruit spoons, oyster forks and a lobster pick to enhance the dining experience and add to the exclusivity of this timeless collection.

www.robertwelch.com

Adam Walker sales manager, Elia

Is anything in particular impacting the production of flatware for your company?

As with many other industries, cutlery is facing many of the same challenges to production. Including increased energy costs, raw material increases and ongoing inflation. Although the supply chain situation is improving, production space and cost prices are still volatile.

How are you dealing with these challenges?

As the Elia product range has so many cutlery patterns and items and as stock holding has always been important for the company, we have been able to supply and service our customers with cutlery ranges and patterns that have perhaps previously not been considered or have been overlooked. Of course, Elia has not been immune to the production issues that everyone has faced, but thankfully and due to long-standing and good supplier relationships, we have been able to secure production and our stock is constantly being replenished.

head of brands, Portmeirion Group

Is anything in particular impacting the production of flatware for your company?

The rising cost and sourcing of materials and labour has certainly changed in recent months so does present a different set of challenges, that said, this is not unique to homewares, most industries are facing the same challenges at this time.

How are you dealing with these challenges?

Portmeirion Group have our own production facility in the UK in Stoke on Trent which enables us to have an agile approach to production challenges. We have strong relationships with our external suppliers which enables us to ensure ongoing communication and transparency – flexibility and the ability to adapt is key at this time from a UK made and sourced point of view.

Is how we use cutlery changing as people continue to embrace a more relaxed style of dining?

This is definitely a really interesting area as casual dining and the love of a plethora of different food cultures continues to rise. Consumer behaviours are changing and this applies to ceramics as much as it does the cutlery. The need for a ‘traditional’ cutlery set is still relevant, but evolving with the way people dine and eat is always front of mind when developing new tabletop solutions.

What types of finishes are you finding most popular with consumers?

PVD is a classic finish so continues to have appeal with consumers.

How often do you find, on average, consumers replace or add to their cutlery assortment?

Replace is likely not often as a cutlery range can be a considered purchase, but cutlery has expanded in to serve cutlery, pastry forks etc so adding to cutlery is certainly something we see an increase in.

Sambonet

Subtle elegance and a return to classic form – the Sambonet Queen Anne cutlery collection is a best seller for every occasion. Note the collection’s beauty and simplicity of shape, and its comfort during handling.

www.sambonet.com

Portmeirion

The Sophie Conran for Portmeirion flatware assortments – such as Floret and Arbor – have been designed to be loved, adored and cherished. The collections will add a subtle shine to your everyday dining experience.

www.portmeirion.co.uk

Robbe & Berking

Amefa

Individuality is increasingly becoming an important criterion for differentiation. For the launch of customised knife blades, Robbe & Berking presents a series of blades inspired by natural marble. Available in Martelé, Riva and Belvedere, and just like real marble, almost no two blades are alike. A special highlight is The Box with top in marble optic and offering space for a 24-piece cutlery set. A cutlery collection with a clean design www.robbeberking.com that stands out for its modernity and slim lines. Soprano (pictured) is made of high gloss 18/0 stainless steel and brings a contemporary look to the table. Amefa’s Drift, meanwhile, offers elegant design. Featuring a classic teardrop handle with subtle sloping edges, the Drift collection delivers the perfect combination of quality and functionality. Amefa’s finest collection of cutlery is called Amefa Premiere – distinctive designs crafted from the highest quality 18/10 stainless steel and beautifully finished to the last detail.

www.amefa.com

Anand Baldawa, CEO, thinKitchen

Is anything in particular impacting the production of flatware?

The global market is being impacted by the shortage of resources leading to an increasing cost of all aspects of manufacturing – man, machine and materials. Stainless-steel prices have increased as it’s been high in demand and low in supply. High energy prices have been a concern as the global market was recovering from the pandemic. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has added to this challenge as the supply of the nickel – a key ingredient in stainless steel products has been limited.

Norilsk in Russia is the world’s secondbiggest exporter of Class 1 nickel and due to limited supply of the same from Russia pushed the prices even higher. Similarly shipping and freight costs has been increasing since 2020 because of the higher fuel cost and the war in Ukraine has only intensified this situation. At Seeba | thinKitchen we are making it a point to plan our order management and production well so that we can minimise price escalation for our customers.

Is how we use cutlery changing as people continue to embrace a more relaxed style of dining?

For everyday use cutlery, consumers usually prefer timeless and elegant design that feels just as comfortable in the hand as it does on the eye. Mix and match of metals also seems to be trending for example you will see black flatware with silver, gold, or platinum accents or alternating silvers and golds in glossy sheens or matte finishes. However, what we have seen go out of fashion is trendy/fad-based cutlery or cutlery with intricate designs that cannot be used in multiple settings.

What types of finishes are you finding most popular with consumers? PVD finishes have been very popular in recent years, is that still the case?

PVD finishing continues to be popular as it comes with brilliant decorative finishes which makes cutlery interesting, different and gives it a modern look.

In terms of PVD finishes black is back in trend, which is not surprising since it is simple yet uber stylish. In recent years we have also seen an increase in the demand for textured cutlery with matte/ satin finishes such textures helps with highlighting the main colour of the tableware.

Josh Rammell,

marketing manager, Utopia Tableware

Is anything in particular impacting the production of flatware for your company?

While there were large increases in the cost of the raw materials for steel at the beginning of the pandemic these issues are now abating. Similarly, supply chain issues are also easing but it does require careful forward planning and strong relationships with suppliers. While the energy issue is causing a rise in costs across Europe, it can be worked around with a diverse manufacturing base.

How are you dealing with these challenges?

With most of the supply side issues now known and understood it’s possible to plan around them. The important thing is to keep customers informed and up to date as the situation changes, setting reasonable expectations and trying to offer stability of supply and service.

Is how we use cutlery changing as people continue to embrace a more relaxed style of dining?

The traditional cutlery launch needed to be twelve pieces, and include many specific styles for different needs. Now we’re seeing the main volume and popularity around six core pieces. This makes it easy for restaurants to explore a range of cutlery styles for different menu choices. Of particular note here is the increasing prominence of steak knives. They are widely used, and not just for meat. They open up a lot of possibilities for diverse and unique styles.

What types of finishes are you finding most popular with consumers? PVD finishes have been very popular in recent years, is that still the case?

PVD coating still has a strong position, as it allows a range of different looks to be achieved, either to match with or contrast against other tableware items. Utopia’s Turin (black), Rio (copper) and Bullion (gold) ranges have been some of the most popular recently. There has also been a trend towards vintage and satin finishes, such as Orsay and Astoria made by Utopia’s supply partner, Eternum. This is because they work well with other current trends, including the popularity of earth tones, vegetarian inspired menus and the rising popularity of more relaxed dining experiences.

HEPP Utopia

The Signature collection from Utopia offers a contemporary design with clean lines. Paired with Signature’s elongated handles make it the perfect companion to larger tableware pieces. The collection is 18/10 stainless steel, gauge 3.5mm, a range of 10 pieces and comes in a box of 12.

www.utopia-tableware.com

The award-winning Trilogie by HEPP is distinctive, characterised by its graceful, three-sided handles – the triangular cross-section at the end was inspired by cut tree branches. As you’ve come to expect from Hepp, this new line is ergonomically designed and well- balanced. It’s no surprise that Trilogie has already received one of the highest distinctions – the Red Dot Design Award for Product Design. 22 pieces of 18/10 stainless steel cutlery are accompanied by a triangular napkin ring.

www.hepp.de