As an initiative of the French Cutlery Federation and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises, with organizational support from Business France, nine French cutlery companies will present their products during a three-day trade delegation in New York from October 18-20.
The delegation is made up of brands from Thiers and the surrounding region in France, a center of knife-making expertise for more than centuries.
While staying faithful to the artisanal practices perfected throughout the years, these brands have continued to innovate and incorporate new techniques such as full-forging and laser-cut blades, according to organizers of the delegation.
The delegation features a wide range of products for a variety of professional and consumer uses, including Deglon’s selection of chef’s tools; Goyon-Chazeau’s knife gift sets; Ligne W’s wine openers and corkscrews and Claude Dozorme’s line of hunting knives.
“Cutlery is an emblematic sector of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with the largest French cutlery basin in Thiers, where 60% of the French workforce in the sector is located,” said Franck Colcombet, president of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises. “Cutlery companies represent nearly 230 jobs in the region with an overall turnover of 57 million euros. Nearly a quarter of this turnover comes from luxury or high-end table cutlery. 93% of companies and more than 80% of jobs in this industry are located in the Puy-de-Dôme area. We are delighted to showcase a few of these companies through our delegation in partnership with the French Cutlery Foundation and Business France“
During the 3-day delegation, culinary professionals, tableware buyers and distributors can see the products in person at Meet Madison 41 in the Marigold 1 room. The companies will be available for meetings throughout their visit. The event will be launched at a networking cocktail hour under the patronage of Jeremie Robert, Consul General of France, Tuesday, October 18 at 6 p.m. at the Consulate General of France in New York.
Peter Giannetti, editor in chief of HomePage News, and Tom Mirabile, founder of Springboard Futures and International Housewares Association trend forecaster, are jointly delivering a keynote presentation as part of the cutlery delegation. The presentation, set for 10:30 a.m. October 18, will examine the convergence of evolving U.S. consumer lifestyle trends and key housewares market developments.
