By Jaden Urbi – The Wall Street Journal
When Paul van Zuydam first walked into the Le Creuset factory in northern France during the 1980s, he found a brand with international prestige but deep internal troubles — plagued by debt and family disputes. Decades later, he has transformed it into a global cookware powerhouse.
Founded over a century ago in Fresnoy-le-Grand, the company’s location was no accident — it sat at a key crossroads for the raw materials needed to produce cast-iron cookware. But by the time van Zuydam came along, the business was in decline.
Born in South Africa as one of seven children, van Zuydam built a career across Canada, the U.K., and Europe before leading stainless steel cookware manufacturer Prestige Group in the late 1980s. A tip from a Paris contact led him to tour Le Creuset’s factory. He was struck by the complexity of its largely hand-crafted process and by the brand’s unique commitment to bold, colorful designs.
Initially, van Zuydam tried to buy Le Creuset through Prestige. However, after Prestige was acquired by a U.S. tobacco company, the French workforce balked at the idea of an American takeover, leading to strikes and a failed deal. Determined, van Zuydam left Prestige, obtained French government approval, and personally acquired Le Creuset.
Since then, he has doubled the capacity of the French cast-iron plant, grown its product range, built up inventory reserves, and kept production debt-free since 2001. While all cast-iron pieces remain French-made, Le Creuset operates a ceramics facility in Thailand producing mugs, plates, and kettles in its signature colors.
Today, the company generates an estimated $850 million in annual revenue. At 87, van Zuydam remains deeply involved in daily operations, saying, “I have no intent to retire tomorrow — I want to be part of seeing all this through.”
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IMAGE: WSJ
