Global pressure for cheap goods has lead to the demise of traditional production methods in the west leading to a flood of poor quality merchandise on our shelves. South Africa has not been immune to this shift, and products from electronics to stoves are now produced en mass in factories by unskilled labourers in countries such as China or Vietnam’.
The Culinary Equipment Company, founded by Wehrner Gutstadt in 2002 has endeavoured to buck this trend. The company’s mission is to import brands only of the highest possible quality solely from Europe, thereby supporting master artisans in their traditional craft. The Culinary Equipment Co is the only company of its kind to support this ideal in South Africa.
Established primarily as the importer of the world-renowned Lacanche range of French range cookers, the company has grown to include over seven thousand line items. Today, forty brands make up a formidable contingent of products that cover everything from cutlery, vegetable slicers, espresso machines, to copper or ceramic cookware. Information about the full spectrum of products can be found at www.culinary.co.za
With many companies finding themselves compromised by high rent and staffing costs, the Culinary Equipment Company has grown organically to include a small, highlytrained team that is renowned for delivering exemplary service, and long-standing client relationships. Situated in Lanseria, Stellenbosch and Cape Town (August 2009) the group boasts an enormous 1500 square meter showroom in its Johannesburg headquarters – including a full commercial demonstration kitchen and the facility to cater for high-end functions.
Culinary Commercial, lead by Wehrner Gutstadt, is the professional arm of the Culinary Group. With several large scale commercial projects on the go at any instant and a history of developing restaurant kitchens and concepts which go straight into the nation’s top ten listings, it provides firstrate industry knowledge and experience.