San Francisco Frontiers - Global cult following keeps Le Creuset simmering

For a maker of pots and pans, Le Creuset has had an astonishing global run and cult-like following that nobody could have predicted when the company first set out to produce staple kitchenware in Fresnoy-le-Grand, a modest village in northern France, in 1925.

Two Belgian entrepreneurs built what, a century later, is still Le Creuset's home factory in the village of barely 3,000 inhabitants, home of the company's trademark enamelled cast-iron cookware.

The flagship Dutch oven model, now available in about 100 colours, started out exclusively in flaming orange, which still makes Le Creuset pots instantly recognisable.

With a price tag in the region of 250 euros ($280) for basic cast-iron models -- rising fast for elaborate models or special editions -- Le Creusets are high-end designer creations with a reputation for indestructibility.

- 'Crucible' -

All the company's cast-iron cookware is still exclusively made in the Fresnoy-le-Grand factory, the centrepieces of which are two giant electric furnaces -- also called "creuset", which is French for "crucible".

The furnaces heat molten cast iron to 1,550 degrees Celsius (2,822 Fahrenheit), the melting point for this iron and carbon alloy.

The blindingly bright liquid, hotter than lava, is then poured into a transfer recipient, which is automatically carried along a rail.

The cast iron is poured quickly into sand moulds shaped by metal patterns to make raw products. The remaining cast iron and sand are recycled back into the manufacturing process.

After being ground by robots and stripped by being exposed to bombardment with tiny steel beads, the utensils are glazed with enamel -- a mixture of glass, quartz, clay, water and colorants -- before vitrification at nearly 800C.

The resulting variety of shapes and colours presents an industrial challenge, but "really embodies the strength and DNA of the brand," said Frederic Salle, manager of the site.

Le Creuset now sells 95 percent of its production abroad, in more than 80 countries, but keeps a tight lid on financial data, which the privately held company is not obliged to disclose.

Things weren't always upbeat. When Paul van Zuydam, a Briton with a South African background, bought Le Creuset in 1988, customers had gone cool on the brand.

But Van Zuydam, who is still Le Creuset's president, pushed the company's international expansion, established it at the high segment of the market and diversified production sites for non-cast iron products to foreign countries, including China and Thailand.

- Social media success -

Le Creuset has 575 retail outlets in the world, with online sales having received a boost from a home cooking craze during the Covid pandemic.

"The brand is doing very well pretty much everywhere in the world," said Marie Gigot, managing director for France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Like for many global companies, US President Donald Trump's tariff threats are a concern, she acknowledged. "The situation changes every day, so we follow it very closely."

But US buyers wealthy enough to purchase Le Creuset products in the past will probably not be put off by any tariff hikes, said Nick Stene, head of home and garden research at Euromonitor, a market research company.

"Homes that can afford to invest in the higher price points, especially over $300 for luxury cookware, are the last households to feel the pain when buying power is under pressure," he told AFP.

Le Creuset has been "one of the strongest performers" in the homeware category, which has seen around 4.5-percent annual growth since 2019, he said.

One major factor of success has been social media, where proud owners like to showcase their Le Creuset to prove they can afford it, but also that they "know how to use it properly", accompanied by hashtags like #LeCreuSlay, he said.

"There is nothing quite as efficient as having your customers also act as your ambassadors and marketing team," added Stene.

Z.Sanchez--SFF