Emile-Henry pottery production was established in Burgundy in 1850 and is therefore a historical and very famous company in France in the field of ceramic tableware for the kitchen and hotellerie. It is one of the largest European companies in the sector, but has been distributed in Italy for only a few years. What response is the Italian market giving it?
Within the " Italian market" there are people of high professionalism, serious people, who like well-designed and quality products. The results in terms of awareness of our brand, and also in terms of turnover, are very positive. Italy has become our sixth most important export country (out of 50) in just a few years.
You have now taken over this wonderful and difficult family legacy and divide your time between France, Europe and the rest of the world. In your opinion and with the great experience you have accumulated over the years, is Europe still the home of quality ceramics, or are other markets today becoming competitive not only because of low cost, but also because of a rise in the quality of their production?
And a difficult question! A quality ceramic has properties first of all of mechanical resistance (to shocks) and thermal resistance (to temperature changes), if possible maintaining interesting and attractive colors for the end user. Imported, you can currently find items at low cost, and even sometimes that contain one or two of these properties. From the "far East" I have yet to see anything that has vivid, striking colors, well thought-out shapes, and both impact and temperature change resistance.
All of your products are individually branded, possess a five-year warranty, and only natural materials are used for production only natural materials, with a production cycle that respects the environment. In your opinion, this respect for rules and habitat, which inevitably makes the product Emile-Henry an item that is at the high end of the market is rewarding ? Or is it still laborious and difficult to explain the difference with a product that is cheaper but of lower quality and made with polluting techniques ?
As for traceability and guarantee, it is definitely rewarding. As far as respect for the environment-the rules imposed by French law are very tough in this area-and also for the working conditions of all our employees, I must confess that unfortunately, as you have guessed it is not a winning sales argument, it is not yet an element that makes a difference to li buyers today. However, being in the DNA of Emile Henry, and being part of a coherent whole that guarantees the quality of our products, I have no intention of making the company adapt "à la mode" by changing the production criteria and making it lose the savoir-faire and soul that has taken root in Burgundy over 160 years.
Emile-Henry certainly invests a lot of energy in researching materials, technologies, shapes, colors and lines. It also invests a lot of economic resources to never abandon its product, from creation to the buyer's table. It does this with the truly comprehensive multilingual site, it does this through depliantisitca, information and through the publication (in agreement with important publishers ) of real books of high editorial and photographic quality to best explain the use of a Tatin or a Tajine. What feedback do you manage to get through this expensive and challenging policy? What target customers respond best to this type of solicitation?
Again, it is part of that whole thing of excellence and attention to detail that is necessarily but also 'naturally' the task of a leading company. We do this with pleasure because innovation, satisfaction and the fun of cooking, are our passion. A passion we want to convey, beyond what the market expects from a leader in terms of novelty and communication.
Your most assorted range of products can be found mainly in the best high-end homeware stores: which items work best on the Italian public and which colors among the many in your beautiful collection are most successful with the Italian public?
Another difficult question! It depends a lot on the Italian regions and the traditional dishes that are mainly made area by area.... However, the sales statistics in Italy show a strong rotation of the "Flame" series, the dough that goes on the flame (without spreads) and more particularly the tajine, tarte tatin, and also the cocotte. We also sell very well the dishes that are really very durable and long-lasting, and of course the lasagna dishes. In terms of colors, in the South yellow and beige go more, while in the North red and eggplant colors sell quite well.
You are also trying to propose your elegant range of products at the Italian professional sector of the restaurant and qualified venue. You do this through companies of recognized professionalism such as RG Commerciale, how is this sector doing? In your opinion, is the restaurant manager, the chef able to appreciate your production? If you could address all restaurateurs, what do you think is the really winning aspect of your products that the restaurateur can find and can highlight to the end user?
To tell you the truth, it is an area that still suffers from a certain inertia, where it is necessary for us and our distributors to sow longer, and where we always try to understand well the needs in the 'use of tableware, which is quite different from that of the domestic public... Certainly, the chef as well as the restaurant manager are able to appreciate our particularity, especially in terms of richness of assortment and colors, and of the fact that our production allows to prepare and serve at the table without transferring the food, and certainly the good chef finds our attention to robustness which is necessary when working in a particularly hectic and complex environment.. The really winning aspect of our products for the restaurateur is, in every way the visual impact with the colors that can be created by maximizing the palatability and aesthetics of the food, which helps to raise the image of the venue, and in some cases (in the buffet world) to sell more food.
Your catalog of items ranges from woks, trays, cocottes, Japanese and individual salad bowls, tajines, créme brulée bowls, tarte tatin molds, lasagna dishes, cake and plum cake molds, and an endless array of bowls and containers, and the color palette embraces classic, modern, trendy hues, and we defer to consulting your very comprehensive site for the informational detail. Now what shapes, colors and objects are you focusing on? What upcoming production and distribution projects?We have just started a nice project for the food service world, on the concept "urban buffet," which is a complete package of modern pans, design, with nice contemporary colors, the first samples had in the last food service fairs a nice feedback. As for the colors, we have not yet decided on the new products for 2012, however, in the final short list there are just some colors ... surprising ...
Can you tell me in one sentence why Emile-Henry is different from its competitors?
I guess I can say that we are the only ones left to bring "useful" innovation to the market on this extraordinary material that is ceramics.
For more information:
Nawaëlle Belkacemi - Sales and Marketing Manager Italy - nbelkacemi@emilehenry.com
Interview by Monica Palla
