The Berndorf Owners
The long-established company “Berndorf Besteck-Tafelgeräte” is predominantly owned privately. The owners come from among the shareholders of the Berndorf AG (www.berndorf.at), an international technology group.
History
The Bear is Back in Full Swin
In 2013 Berndorf Besteck celebrated its company anniversary of 170 years. Still, the company steeped in tradition does not look back, but rather ahead towards a promising future. Following a six-year partnership with the French company Guy Degrenne, the bear, the trademark animal of Berndorf Besteck-Tafelgeräte GmbH, is returning to Austria.
Pioneering Spirit and Impetus
Flashback: In 1843, Alexander von Schoeller and Alfred Krupp jointly founded a factory for metal goods in Berndorf/Lower Austria. Initially specialising in massive silverware, they soon started manufacturing cutlery from new, robust materials. Alpacca, an especially hard alloy of copper, nickel and zinc which renders itself easily to planing, and the development of the roll for manufacturing spoons for the first time facilitated the mass production of premium cutlery. Owing to their moderate sales prices, the products soon found a ready market, also far beyond the frontiers of the Habsburg monarchy. To this day the Berndorf products feature an engraved bear as a guarantee of quality.
After a particular set of military tableware had found great favour with the Emperor´s Court, in 1897 Berndorf was ennobled with the title of Purveyor to the Court. This proved the stepping stone which made the Berndorf products undisputed megasellers. Hotel and restaurant businesses throughout the entire Austro-Hungarian monarchy furnished their establishments with cutlery and tableware from Berndorf. International shipping and railroad lines also availed themselves of the robust tableware from Lower Austria.
A Pure Matter of Taste
Already at the dawning of the 20th century Berndorf enjoyed working with reputable artists. Members of the well-known Wiener Werkstätten , among them Otto Prutscher, Philipp Häusler, Guido Heigl, Alfred Sachs, or Michael Powolny, created contemporary, and occasionally daring, designs which contributed to the development of new lines of cutlery.
Also today the management of Berndorf Besteck highly values innovative design. Time and again, internationally renowned designers follow the invitation to work together with the company. Accordingly the range of table cutlery presents itself in great variety. It encompasses classic models – frequently manufactured in real silver Sterling – alongside cutting-edge premium designs. Some lines of cutlery are produced according to historic manufacturing designs even today, others touch on contemporary movements and lifestyle topics and skilfully transform them into lines of cutlery of elegant beauty. Distinctive marks: timeliness and best quality. Last but not least, Berndorf has also created an internationally renowned and award-winning platform for avant-garde models of cutlery and plays with interesting and unusual designs. For enthusiasts of extravagant dining culture.
