Emile Henry Of France

Emile Henry of France at Millys Store

The Emile Henry Timeline

1848

The discovery

A young potter, Jaques Henry discovered the world of ceramics in a small workshop in Marcigny, a village in his native Burgundy. He developped a real passion for the art of Earth and Fire.

1850

On the road

When he was 20, he took off for a year with his 'National passport', and travelled the roads of France to meet other, more experienced, potters. He wanted to learn from other people's experience and develop his savoir-faire as a ceramist. After one year, his dream became possible : offer the best and most beautiful pottery to the homes of his native Burgundy.

1870

The first workshop

Jugs, terrines and soup tureens came to life in his hands, and in a few years he created a workforce of around 20 people. Jacques passed on to his son Paul a workshop which had a rich savoir-faire and was full of passion.

1900

Conquering Paris

Paul shared his father's passion and quickly exported his creations to Paris. Customers were enthusiastic, and pottery from La Maison Henry were soon to be found on all the best Parisian tables.

1911

The Ruffled pie dish

The Ruffled pie dish designed by Paul was a great success, with its smooth lines and attractive shape : it soon became the symbol of the Company.

1922

A strong workforce

The workshop suffered during the two World wars, due to the lack of labour. Paul's son, Emile, returned from the war in 1922 determined to get the workshop and its workforce back on its feet.

1955

Expansion

An Artisan engineer in a rapidly expanding company, Maurice set about modernising the production techniques, while retaining the authenticity of the handcrafting skills. Along with his son Jacques, they wanted to offer each home the possibility to cook in highly resistant, attractive ceramic made using new technologies.

1982

A tribute

As a tribute to his grandfather, Jacques changed the name of the company to Emile Henry, as a symbol of the passion which has been handed down from generation to generation, a passion for Earth and Fire and a continuation of authentic values.

1983

In detail

Amateur gourmet, Jacques used his training as an engineer to design dishes which made cooking easier, paying attention to details such as the size and weight, adding handles or ridges in the bottom ... Everything is studied in the smallest detail. For this he created an in-house laboratory for Research and Development.

1986

Creating colours

After much research, the Company created the first colourful dishes for use in the oven. It was a breakthrough for kitchens across the country !

1989

The Pie dish

The colours helped to attract more and more customers all over the world. Pleasure and Cooking merged and the 'Pie dish' became an icon piece in american kitchens.

2005

Flame ceramic

The Tagine, designed by Jacques, is born. It became the centrepiece of a new ceramic which was baptised 'Flame'. This was the first ceramic which could be used directly on the flame and all direct modern heat sources.

2012

Made in France

Jean-Baptiste, Jacques' son, took over the family company and passion with a wish to focus on the fact that the production is 100% made in France, as it always has been.

2014

The Bread Cloche

With a wish to encourage and develop homemade cooking and baking, Jean-Baptiste designed the Bread Cloche, which rapidly become another icon piece. Innovative in its simplicity, it uses the same technique as a traditional bread oven to bake delicious loaves.

Today

Today the Company continues more than ever to develop and evolve. We are proud to use our experience of Earth and Fire to help make cooking and baking easier and more pleasureable for households all around the world. We believe in the timeless values of good, homemade food, prepared with love and made to share.