Iconic French Knife Continues to Look Sharp Despite Its Age

A visit to the Opinel factory which sells three million penknives every year, half of them outside France, and even has an entry in the catalog of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Published

12 months ago

Categories

Arts & Society, Finance

Topics

Arts & Culture, Finance

Places

United States of America, France, New York, Florence, Alps

Companies

Opinel

Transcript

SCRIPT Pablo Picasso used it to carve his sculptures. The ultimate accessory to French-style rustic living, the Opinel knife, is made here in Chambery in the French Alps. The design has changed very little since the 19th century, but the family-owned business has had to adapt to the times. Maxime Opinel, member of the family, (French, male, 13 sec): "The original knife has evolved very little since 1890. We have adapted to the fashion: we've come out with models in various colors. You have to live with the times and Opinel does this well." ["M��me si le couteau cr��e par Joseph Opinel a tr��s peu ��volu�� depuis 1890, on a su d��velopper la gamme, s'adapter aux modes, on a sorti des mod��les en couleurs, il faut vivre avec son temps et c'est ce que Opinel fait plut��t bien."] Whether it's mushroom knives, butter knives or potato pealers - Opinel sells about 3.5 million blades a year, nearly half of those abroad. No outsourcing anytime soon though, production will remain 100% French to keep that little je-ne-sais-quoi. Fabrice (French, male, 11 sec) "It's part of the French heritage, it's a knife that's really very old, and I've heard of Opinel ever since I was a kid." ["Ca fait quand m��me parti du patrimoine fran��ais, c'est vraiment des couteaux tr��s anciens, et depuis que je suis petit j'ai toujours entendu parler des couteaux, des opinels donc voil��." Jean-Pierre (French, male, 5 sec) "Let's just say that Opinel is a legend and who doesn't have their Opinel in their pocket?" ["Disons que l'Opinel c'est une l��gende qui n'a pas son Opinel dans sa poche c'est un peu ��a."] Penknife enthusiasts gathered here in the company's museum can learn about its founder Joseph Opinel and all about the details of their pocket companions. Thomas (French, male, 6 sec): "It's good for everything: to cut wood, to cut sandwiches and all that." ["Ca sert �� tout pour couper du bois et pour couper les sandwichs et tout ��a."] Florence (French, female, 10 sec): "You always have it in your pocket for pic-nics or as my son would say, to carve wood, and make things out of it, it's fun" ["On l'a toujours dans sa poche pour les pique-niques ou comme disait mon fils pour couper du bois, s'amuser �� faire des petites fabrications en bois, c'est sympa."] With Asian sales on the horizon, Opinel hopes to stay a cut above the rest. /// SHOTLIST CHAMBERY, SAINT-JEAN-DE-MAURIENNE, FRANCE, 23 JULY 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV LENGTH: 2'02 - VAR of knife production - SOUNDBITE 1, Maxime Opinel, the president's nephew - VAR of packaging - VAR of blades - VAR of factory workers - VOXPOP - VAR of museum - VOXPOP - Wide shot of factory ///