Rumily: great French know-how
Tefal is in Rumilly, on the edge of the Bauges Mountains Nature Park.
The town of Rumilly, proud to be known as the "frying pan capital of the world", is part of the industrial culture emblematic of French know-how. It is the birthplace of the brand and the world centre for expertise and research in cooking utensils.
At the start, there was Marc.
In the 1950s, engineer Marc Grégoire discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a non-stick material. He then had the idea of applying these non-stick properties to frying pans.
The Tefal company was born in 1956. Its success was immediate and millions of French kitchens now contain Tefal products.
Success and exporting our know-how
In 1961, Tefal began exporting to the US and was eagerly adopted by Jackie Kennedy, then First Lady. The photo of her buying a Tefal pan made the brand famous worldwide. The same year, Tefal created its production site in Rumilly, 20 km west of Annecy.
Proud to be Made in France.
Our Thermo Signal® technology which tells you when to start cooking was born at our Rumilly site, which employs more than 1,600 people. In 2022, more than 35 million kitchen items were made there. At the town's museum, you can even see the 500 millionth pan to come out of the factory, made on 26 March 1994.
Some key dates
The 1950s
The invention of the non-stick pan
Following his wife's advice, engineer Marc Grégoire developed and marketed the first non-stick pan.
The 1960s
Tefal is booming all around the world
The brand becomes a world famous cookware brand and finally integrates Groupe Seb in 1968
The 1990s
Ingenio® was born
An ingenious system of removeable handles which has revolutionised the cooking world
The years 2000
Controlled cooking
Our Thermo-Spot® technology was launched, enabling you to start cooking at the ideal temperature.
And now?
New allies in the kitchen
Tefal is constantly innovating, guaranteeing perfect cooking and delicious meals
Watch videos of our products
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