A table setting sets the mood as much as the food, the drinks…it’s a functional part of the décor and a way to demonstrate what sort of dinner party it will be. Fun and festive, glamorous and exotic, everything from the centerpieces down to the silverware are all key elements to a successful fête. Having the perfect table setting affects the enjoyment of a meal, which in turn can affect how well you digest your food which in turn affects the entire evening.
There are china cupboards across the nation filled with the ‘good’ and the ‘good good’ china saved for special occasions like these—but how about flatware? And how about we start actually using these treasured items instead of saving them for a once a year holiday? Herdmar is one of the biggest producers of table cutlery in the world, creating such elegance and beauty you never even knew was possible from cutlery.
The Portuguese brand is a century old family run business, with the third generation of the Marques family now at the helm. Their philosophy focuses on turning cutlery pieces to fashion items for your table—something they excel at. Herdmar stands for excellence, creativity and innovation in a traditional industry.
With a production capacity of more than 140,000 pieces a day, an estimated business medium volume at over five million euros and employing about 110 collaborators, they work to ensure the continuity of the values that led them along their already long life history.
Herdmar is classic, timeless, works of art in the form of tableware. It’s so much more than just ‘grab the forks, please.’ It’s a statement to the world that you care about what you put in your body, what you put on your plate, and that your gourmet meal is important enough to have the right accessories.
Maria José Marques, family heir and CEO of the brand, sat down to discuss their mission statement and values. “Value creation through the features of our products, that is the main reason of our existence. We propose to produce pieces of excellence, beyond their obvious functional utility, becoming true fashion accessories at the table, where the design links tradition to the current trends, resulting in contemporary elements. Through the trust deposited in the professional relationships, our business partners are active members in our history, which strongly contribute to our continuous development.
We pretend to be a world reference as cutlery producer strongly helping to the area development and differentiation. Characterized by a strong cultural absorption, we play in all of our work the ‘know-how’ acquired in more than one hundred years of experience in the production of table cutlery. Innovation, design and quality are concepts that define our guidelines which drive our professional relationships into a more personal and lasting character.
We do have products which are absolutely inspired on the classic style, with robust pieces and gravures. At the same time we do also present an extensive range of modern and smooth models, with fluid, straight and timeless lines. The fact is that we bet a lot on the design, and this is the image we do pretend to be positioned at the costumers thinking.
Everyone who loves home decor, and believes that flatware can add value to their environment is the ‘typical’ Herdmar client. We do see them as ‘fashion victims’, that don’t buy cutlery for life, which normally is very expensive, and instead follow trends and have many different flatware sets for many different and specific occasion.”
