The Opinel Story

Victor-Amédée Opinel, who was a peddler, learnt how to forge nails during his travels around the country. He set up his first forge workshop in Gevoudaz, a hamlet in Albiez-le-Vieux, near Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. His son Daniel later worked by his side and took over the workshop when his father died. He was to become a renowned edge-tool maker who was very much appreciated by the peasants who came to buy billhooks or sickles from him... *edge-tool maker: manufacturer of tools that have a cutting edge

In 1890, Joseph Opinel turned 18 and worked in the family edgetool making workshop. With a passion for new machines and innovative technologies, he built his own camera and soon became the photographer for weddings and special events in his area. Led by his passion for machinery and manufacturing processes, he decided to invent an object which he could manufacture using modern techniques. Against his father’s wishes, who preferred hand-made tools and traditional craftsmanship and who was weary of machines, he spent his free time refining the shape and manufactured of a small pocket knife: the Opinel was born!

As the commercial success continued, Joseph needed to manufacture large quantities. He left his father’s blacksmith workshop and built his new factory at the Pont de Gevoudaz near the family workshop. In this new building, he streamlined production and developed machines which could manufacture handles at greater speed. With his hydraulic turbine, he was the first in his village to have electricity! After having installed electricity in his workshop and his home, he decided to add a few lights along the lane he used to go to his factory. An old lady in the village, visibly impressed by his system, asked him how he “managed to get oil running through the cables..."

In 1911 Joseph Opinel took part in the International Alpine Exhibition at Turin. For the occasion, he had a magnificent display case made with a carved wooden frame in which he presented his famous pocket knife, the Opinel Savoie, available in twelve sizes, but also his collection of kitchen knives, table knives, razors, scissors, cheese borers, pruning knives and corkscrews that had quickly arrived to swell the collection... Bowled over and visibly impressed, the jury gave him the gold medal! The 1911 display case is now on show at the Opinel company and the certificate has been carefully preserved in our archives...

The wood chips produced during shaping of the knife hafts have always been used to heat the workshops. Nowadays, these are still used in a combination boiler to heat the factory, which saves approximately 200,000 litres of fuel every year. In January 1926, a wood-burning stove which hadn't properly been extinguished started a fire which destroyed the whole building. The Opinel family handled this disaster and decided to build new modern premises better suited for their production on the same site.

In 1950, Marcel's son also joined the company. He was 23 and spent his first few years assisting his uncle, Léon, who was in charge of marketing and administration. Marcel, who absolutely loved machinery, just like his father before him, took charge of the workshops and production. At that time, the factory employed over fifty people. Maurice Opinel passed away on the 18th of August, 2016. At present, his two sons run the company; François is the president and Denis is the managing director.

The 29th of January is cursed for the Opinel family. It was on that day in 1926 that fire devastated the first Cognin factory. On the same day in 1960, Joseph Opinel died aged 88, after having spent his whole life dedicated to his company. And thirty years to the day after his father, Marcel Opinel died on the 29th of January 1990.

The Opinel knife is a popular everyday item whose aesthetics and functionality have won over generations of users. It has remained unchanged for over a century, with a design that is one of the most successful of all time. For this reason, Opinel was recognised by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1985 as one of the 100 best designed items in the world, right alongside the Porsche 911 and the Rolex watch.

Forty five years after being invented by Marcel Opinel, in 2000 Virobloc ® was modified to add an extra safety measure, known as transport security, with the blade closed.

In the beautiful three-volume "Phaidon Design Classics" collection, the Opinel pocket knife is recognised as one of the 999 most successful designs of all time by a jury of international designers.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Savoie's integration into France, Opinel published the “La cuisine à l’Opinel” (Cooking with Opinel) cookery book It's a real fine dining voyage into the Opinel region, containing portraits and recipes by 25 Michelin-starred chefs from Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Piedmont and the Nice region, including fascinating anecdotes about the history of Savoie’s gastronomy written by Annie Victor and illustrated by the photographs of Anthony Cottarel. The book received first prize in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2009, in the Best Corporate Book in France category (published by Lagon Rouge publishing, out of print).

Our longevity is thanks to four generations of the Opinel family: Joseph the founder, his sons Marcel and Léon, his grandson Maurice, and his great-grandsons Denis and François. But it's also down to generations of workers and collaborators who have been able to preserve our historic savoir-faire by respecting the roots of the brand – still based in Savoie – and allowing it to grow. We work every day to ensure the company's continued success by investing in industrial facilities, in research and development and in capturing new markets. We may be 130 years old, but we're still as sharp and adaptable as ever. Opinel is looking forward to the bright future ahead.