Lagostina
Encyclopedia
Lagostina is an Italian
manufacturer of cookware, flatware and other kitchenware
. They are also an important manufacturer of pressure cookers. Lagostina was founded in 1901 in Omegna
, Province of Verbania, Italy, as a family business initially focusing on stainless steel
flatware.
, in Omegna
, on the shores of Lake Orta
, a region famous for handcrafted household goods production, the company was founded by Carlo Lagostina and his son Emilio.
The metalcrafters gradually settled in this country where the economy was based mainly on wood
, and contributed to the beginnings of industrial progress. The distribution of electric power
, the development of railway network and the presence of a skilled workforce heavily impulsed the industrial boom.
Lagostina was created in 1901 and quickly became an expert in the manufacture of tinned iron flatware. In the early 30's, the flatware production reached up to 30 000 pieces per day and included among its main customers the Navy, Army and Aeronautics.
kitchen tools . This material, totally new for this purpose but already known for its aesthetic qualities and its robustness, enables Lagostina to express the Italian style art of living.
In 1929, at the Fair of Milan
, Massimo saw the first stainless steel
sheets. In the United States and Sweden, industrial production of this alloy
began after a long period of studies and experiences . At that time the first products manufactured for the chemical and food industries were experimented. Massimo quickly understood that this material could also be used successfully in the field of kitchen tools.
In Italy, the first collection of stainless steel
kitchenware was created in 1934 by Lagostina : « Casa Mia ». The range bore the famous logo of "the little house with smoking chimney" and a met great success, immortalized in 1956 in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA)
.
At that time, selling steel pots and pans was not easy and Massimo faced the challenge to impose these new ranges. He made great efforts to make his new and much more expensive products accepted on the market. The first customers were communities, hospitals, liners but also department stores such as La Rinascente
in Milan
. The first retailers were mainly located in the Piedmont
and Lombardy
.
Meanwhile, the rise of Lagostina continues through the manufacturing of technical parts for the aircraft industry
until 1940. Indeed, demand for technical parts strongly increases during the War.
The company established its own research and development laboratory in order to promote the development of innovative processes.
The industrial boom inexorably went ahead in 1955 with the launch of the first thermodiffusion base: Thermoplan, which provides excellent heat conductivity
across the bottom of the product. 1960 marks the birth of the Lagostina pressure cooker, with its system of closure and openness so characteristic : with a lever and a flexible cover, the product is entirely made of stainless steel
whereas in rest of Europe, this type of product is still made of aluminium.
Thus a new plant and new office were built with the help of the architect Carlo Mazzeri, who had already participated as a designer to create the Moon Line handles and the kettle with Thermoplan base. Coming years dedicated to export, to Canada
and particularly to France
where a sales subsidiary was founded in 1967.
During those years, Lagostina kept on drawing attention by an innovative and humorous communication such as "The Line" (La Linea)
created by Osvaldo Cavandoli
. Lagostina became one of the first Italian companies to understand the importance of advertising
.
Other famous designers helped the brand to establish its awareness and strong personality. Thus, Giorgetto Giugiaro
designed the "Atmosphere" pressure cooker and the « Modia ».
of ranges. Indeed, over the years, Lagostina had adapted its production to changing culinary methods and flavors: in the 80’s, a new function for the pressure cooker appears :the "steam cooking"; and the launch in 1986 of the "Pastaoila", a special pot to cook and drain pasta.
in 2004 and its positioning and identity are redefined in order to re-establish its high-end image.
In 2009, Lagostina works jointly with the famous Swiss photographer Steeve Iuncker in order to pay homage to Italian women who cook,from generation to generation, the best pasta in the world. Lagostina publishes the book « PASTA » : through a gallery of portraits, the reader gets to know Emanuela, Antonella, Lucia ... Modern Italian women who wished to share their culinary secrets under the lens of the photographer.
In 2009, Lagostina launches La Collezione Rossa, a worldwide innovation in the field of cookware. This collection is the result of a unique technological process (Steel&Color) allowing the fusion of steel
with color . The collection was awarded by the famous prize Red Dot Design Award
2009.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
manufacturer of cookware, flatware and other kitchenware
Kitchenware
Kitchenware include utensils, appliances, dishes, cookware, and so on for use in the kitchen.-See also:*Cookware and bakeware*Dishware*Drinkware*List of eating utensils*List of food preparation utensils*List of Japanese cooking utensils...
. They are also an important manufacturer of pressure cookers. Lagostina was founded in 1901 in Omegna
Omegna
Omegna is a comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km northeast of Turin and about 13 km southwest of Verbania at the northernmost point of Lago d’Orta and traversed by the Nigoglia, the lake’s sole outflow.-History:The presence...
, Province of Verbania, Italy, as a family business initially focusing on stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
flatware.
1901–1930 : A region that drives men to surpass themselves
Lagostina was born in the PiedmontPiedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, in Omegna
Omegna
Omegna is a comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km northeast of Turin and about 13 km southwest of Verbania at the northernmost point of Lago d’Orta and traversed by the Nigoglia, the lake’s sole outflow.-History:The presence...
, on the shores of Lake Orta
Lake Orta
Lake Orta is a lake in northern Italy west of Lake Maggiore.It has been so named since the 16th century, but was previously called the Lago di San Giulio, after Saint Julius , the patron saint of the region; Cusio is a merely poetical name...
, a region famous for handcrafted household goods production, the company was founded by Carlo Lagostina and his son Emilio.
The metalcrafters gradually settled in this country where the economy was based mainly on wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, and contributed to the beginnings of industrial progress. The distribution of electric power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
, the development of railway network and the presence of a skilled workforce heavily impulsed the industrial boom.
Lagostina was created in 1901 and quickly became an expert in the manufacture of tinned iron flatware. In the early 30's, the flatware production reached up to 30 000 pieces per day and included among its main customers the Navy, Army and Aeronautics.
1932–1956 : The beginnings of stainless steel
Massimo Lagostina, grandnephew of the founder, launched the first stainless steelStainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
kitchen tools . This material, totally new for this purpose but already known for its aesthetic qualities and its robustness, enables Lagostina to express the Italian style art of living.
In 1929, at the Fair of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Massimo saw the first stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
sheets. In the United States and Sweden, industrial production of this alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
began after a long period of studies and experiences . At that time the first products manufactured for the chemical and food industries were experimented. Massimo quickly understood that this material could also be used successfully in the field of kitchen tools.
In Italy, the first collection of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
kitchenware was created in 1934 by Lagostina : « Casa Mia ». The range bore the famous logo of "the little house with smoking chimney" and a met great success, immortalized in 1956 in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA)
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
.
At that time, selling steel pots and pans was not easy and Massimo faced the challenge to impose these new ranges. He made great efforts to make his new and much more expensive products accepted on the market. The first customers were communities, hospitals, liners but also department stores such as La Rinascente
La Rinascente
La Rinascente is a Thai owned Italian retailer operating upscale department stores in the area of clothing, household and beauty products, founded in Milan in 1865 by Luigi and Ferdinando Bocconi....
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. The first retailers were mainly located in the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
and Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
.
Meanwhile, the rise of Lagostina continues through the manufacturing of technical parts for the aircraft industry
Aircraft industry
The aircraft industry is the industry supporting aviation by building aircraft and manufacturing aircraft parts for their maintenance. This includes aircraft and parts used for civil aviation and military aviation. Most production is done pursuant to type certificates and Defense Standards issued...
until 1940. Indeed, demand for technical parts strongly increases during the War.
1957–1971: The success of stainless steel
The years 1956–1957 showed the end of tinned iron production. It was a turning point for Lagostina: the manufacturing process went from manual era to more mechanized manufacturing.The company established its own research and development laboratory in order to promote the development of innovative processes.
The industrial boom inexorably went ahead in 1955 with the launch of the first thermodiffusion base: Thermoplan, which provides excellent heat conductivity
Thermal conductivity
In physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the property of a material's ability to conduct heat. It appears primarily in Fourier's Law for heat conduction....
across the bottom of the product. 1960 marks the birth of the Lagostina pressure cooker, with its system of closure and openness so characteristic : with a lever and a flexible cover, the product is entirely made of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
whereas in rest of Europe, this type of product is still made of aluminium.
Thus a new plant and new office were built with the help of the architect Carlo Mazzeri, who had already participated as a designer to create the Moon Line handles and the kettle with Thermoplan base. Coming years dedicated to export, to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and particularly to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where a sales subsidiary was founded in 1967.
During those years, Lagostina kept on drawing attention by an innovative and humorous communication such as "The Line" (La Linea)
La Linea (TV series)
La Linea is an Italian animated series created by the Italian cartoonist Osvaldo Cavandoli. The series consists of 90 episodes which are about 2–3 minutes long each which were produced originally broadcast in the Italian channel RAI between 1971 - 1986. Over the years the series aired in more than...
created by Osvaldo Cavandoli
Osvaldo Cavandoli
Osvaldo Cavandoli , also known by his pen name Cava, was an Italian cartoonist. His most famous work is his series of short animated cartoons, La Linea ....
. Lagostina became one of the first Italian companies to understand the importance of advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
.
Other famous designers helped the brand to establish its awareness and strong personality. Thus, Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automobile designer responsible equally for a stable of supercars and several of the most popular everyday vehicles driven today...
designed the "Atmosphere" pressure cooker and the « Modia ».
1972–2001: The establishment of a prestigious image dedicated to Culinary Art
This last part of the 20th century was characterized by a process of diversificationDiversification (marketing strategy)
Diversification is a form of corporate strategy for a company. It seeks to increase profitability through greater sales volume obtained from new products and new markets. Diversification can occur either at the business unit level or at the corporate level. At the business unit level, it is most...
of ranges. Indeed, over the years, Lagostina had adapted its production to changing culinary methods and flavors: in the 80’s, a new function for the pressure cooker appears :the "steam cooking"; and the launch in 1986 of the "Pastaoila", a special pot to cook and drain pasta.
2005: A new approach based on the original culture of the brand
Lagostina become a brand of Groupe SEBGroupe SEB
Groupe SEB is a large French consortium that produces small appliances. Notable brand names associated with Groupe SEB include Krups, Moulinex, Rowenta, and Tefal. According to the Groupe SEB website, they have faced considerable competition from low-price Chinese competitors, but have managed to...
in 2004 and its positioning and identity are redefined in order to re-establish its high-end image.
In 2009, Lagostina works jointly with the famous Swiss photographer Steeve Iuncker in order to pay homage to Italian women who cook,from generation to generation, the best pasta in the world. Lagostina publishes the book « PASTA » : through a gallery of portraits, the reader gets to know Emanuela, Antonella, Lucia ... Modern Italian women who wished to share their culinary secrets under the lens of the photographer.
Products
Lagostina produces premium cookware features such as stoves, pots, pans, cast iron pots and tableware (services, flatware ...).Innovations
Among the last innovations of the brand, there is « Melodia Triply » and, most of all, the new pressure cookers Domina and Maga with new open-close patented system « Easy Opening ».In 2009, Lagostina launches La Collezione Rossa, a worldwide innovation in the field of cookware. This collection is the result of a unique technological process (Steel&Color) allowing the fusion of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
with color . The collection was awarded by the famous prize Red Dot Design Award
Red dot design award
The Red Dot Design Award is an international product design prize awarded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. There are prize categories for product design, design agencies, and design concepts. Since 1955, designers and producers can apply for the prizes with the winners...
2009.