Luxury Italian silverware company, Mepra, has a long, storied history moulded through the adaptive and innovative skill of the Prandelli family. While initially tasked with producing and smelting armaments during times of conflict, Mepra’s founders became heavily influenced by the explosion of wealth in post-war Europe following the Second World War.
During a fateful journey to the Netherlands in 1947, the Prandelli family’s focus shifted from their well-known brass products to the lucrative silverware market that had been growing in popularity as the technology of the time improved.
Today, Mepra is a world-renowned silverware company that specialises in cutlery, crockery, and decorative steel.
With over 8000 product designs from iconic Italian designers such as Angelo Mangiarotti, Mepra silverware can now be found on the tables of some of the most prestigious multi-award-winning restaurants and hotels in the world.
We asked Chief Executive Officer, Luigi Prandelli, about Mepra’s history and how the family continues to draw inspiration from the global community.
What was the inspiration for creating Mepra?
Mepra was created in 1947 by the Prandelli brothers, and was the first factory to produce 18/10 stainless steel flatware in Lumezzane. In 1950, the brothers decided to commit half of the production to stainless steel flatware. It was a huge success, and in 1953 they decided to discontinue the production of brass cutlery altogether.
The following years brought on steady growth and successes, leading Mepra to widen the product range throughout the years, with crockery first, followed by cookware and the first coffee makers, and finally, silver-plated stainless steel products.
Throughout the new generations, the Prandelli family has been actively engaged in pursuing this passion.
How would you describe Mepra and what the company makes?
We believe that luxury is not only for a special occasion.
We make true handcraft art for cutlery, cookware, and serveware. This means tailor-made objects in limited edition, often creations hand-made by our artisans for the most prestigious villas in the world.
The mission of the Mepra Atelier is to learn your tastes and requirements; define what you wish to convey to your guests; and then create, together with you, the products that reflect and transfer your philosophy.
Our boutiques are available to recommend the finish that best suits your home environment. With over 40 models, complete with a range of accessories, each model can be customised with a titanium cover in 5 different colours: ORO, ORO NERO, BRONZO, CHAMPAGNE, and ARCOBALENO. Combined with 3 different surface treatment techniques: MIRROR, PELTRO, ICE, they create 15 precious and distinctive nuances.
Through the latest technology, Mepra also makes it possible to indelibly add your signature on our creations, not only cutlery, in the most elegant and least invasive way possible. We can even customise our creations in sizes, too. We are proud to be able to offer you the best possible addition to your spaces in the most convenient way.
What is Mepra’s signature style
Thanks to a unique Made in Italy treatment of the steel, we give cutlery a vintage look. The typical irregularities due to the treatment make each piece unique and impossible to replicate.
The surface treatment that gives the golden colour is a PVD process (Physical Vapour Deposition). Ions of titanium nitride and zirconium nitride are deposited on the surface of the cutlery through a vacuum process. This technology has found an application in the professional flatware business to satisfy the demand of hotels and restaurants that are looking for heavy-duty gold-plated cutlery.
How has the Mepra and its collections evolved since it started in 1947?
Since 1947, Mepra has produced cutlery and steel with the highest attention to detail, offering a wide range of cutting-edge solutions with flavours of Italian tradition.
Today, it still combines the love for both food and quality with its array of high-end products, but as technology advances so too must design innovate. Thanks to our lucrative collaboration with some of the most important Italian designers, such as Angelo Mangiarotti, and through the hard work of the young and talented designers who work at Mepra, the company is now able to produce a new, innovative design collection every year.
Mepra has also expanded its presence to the global market and exports its products and designs to each country in the world. Mepra is a company that continually evolves its processes and products, commanding a general catalogue with more than 8,000 product references.
How important is it for the brand to champion local artisans, craftsmen, and components?
Passion for beauty cannot be totally industrial. For Mepra, true industry means the most sophisticated technologies at the service of the artisan who ultimately decides, remodels, crafts, forges, and makes each product unique. No Mepra product can exist without the heart of the person creating it.
At Mepra, all these years have not passed in vain. Mepra offers the best quality standards in the industry, with a focus on respect for people and nature, from which we draw all our resources and create the real value of our company.
In your opinion, what makes Mepra different from other silverware designers?
For the most exclusive locations, we need to create truly unique and inimitable pieces. The passion of our craftsmen and the latest technology are available to you, waiting for the most impervious challenges.
Each product is then tailored to the individual, with a unique signature stamp on the item. Once the signature is on the product, sizes are chosen, and your unique object is created. Our studio remains at your disposal to make sure you achieve the surface finishing that best suits your atmosphere. Each product is available for a lifetime and can be reordered as it suits you.
Mepra is unique in that we bring you three generations of Italian tradition, design, and lifestyle to create the product, and it is all proudly Made In Italy.
What has the company been working on recently?
Mepra has teamed up with luxury automobile manufacturer Pininfarina to create STILE, a refined collection for lovers of Italian beauty. An unmistakable design in which pure lines harmoniously find their place in everyday life.
Mepra’s solid experience and Pininfarina’s constant aesthetic research have created a collection in the pursuit of timeless values: Beauty, Purity, and Innovation. With its contemporary, essential look, STILE brings elegance to the kitchen without forgoing functionality, making the cooking experience even more satisfying.
The pureness of the lines and the clean, essential geometries shape a collection in which function and style reach the perfect balance. The lid – characterized by rounded lines – recalls the pot shape, guaranteeing a perfect integration of elements and conveying the idea of a single, extremely compact body. The contrast between the shiny finish of the handles and the satin-finished exterior gives the collection an unmistakable look.
Not only stylistic research but also attention to safety, ergonomics, and functionality make STILE an expression of the highest Italian quality focused on people’s wishes and needs.
Where do you get inspiration from?
Mepra is a protagonist of Made in Italy. Objects for the kitchen, table, and decor respond to ever-changing lifestyles and yet follow the rules of education, tradition, and culture of Italian people who show through fashion, design, and cuisine the real essence and meaning of the Italian Lifestyle.
This is the heart and soul of Mepra’s inspiration.
you can find out more about Mepra through:
Ecommerce Office
Stadhoudersmolenweg 136
7317 AW Apeldoorn
The Netherlands
URL: https://www.theluxuryartmepra.com/
Phone: +31 85 303 26 59
Email: info@mepra-store.com