The company

In 1890, in a small Savoie village in Maurienne, Joseph Opinel invented the pocket knife that now bears his name. The Opinel company located at Chambéry in the heart of the Alps, is still run by the descendants of Joseph Opinel and manufactures items whose quality has made the brand famous for more than 130 years. The collection contains knives and pocket tools for DIY, sport, outdoors activities and gardening as well as kitchen knives and table knives…

Made in France

Our pocket knives, table knives, kitchen knives and garden tools are made in France in our factory in Chambéry, in Savoy*.

The Chambéry factory employs 170 people, 110 of whom are directly involved in production.

To accompany business development, 2270m2 of industrial buildings were added to the existing 4000m2 between 2015 and 2024.

In 2023, 6.5 million items were sold in more than 70 countries around the world for a turnover of 38,4 million euros, 45% of which was made through exports.

The American subsidiary Opinel USA was founded in Chicago in 2016, and markets the products from the brand in the United States.

* A small part of our range is manufactured in Portugal after being developed in Chambéry: pruning shears, some Intempora kitchen knives, Perpétue cutlery and Sylve forks.
Garden saw blades, manual sharpener, honing and diamond sharpening steel are made in Asia. Cutting boards and blocks are made in Italy. Kitchen and table textiles, cases and mats are made in France.

Discover Opinel Manufacturing

A family of blacksmiths

OPINEL SAS is a family business; the president François Opinel and the general manager Denis Opinel are the great-grandsons of the founder Joseph Opinel. The operational management is run by two deputy general managers who oversee the managers in charge of industry, purchasing & development, marketing & communication and exports.

The Opinel Museum located in Saint Jean de Maurienne, Savoie is run by Maxime and Jacques Opinel, descendants of Jean Opinel, a blacksmith and the brother of Joseph Opinel.

Opinel's values

The company's values consist of a people-centric approach with a focus on maintaining and developing jobs in Chambéry, quality control via regular checks and continuous improvements to the entire production chain, and respect for the environment with the aim of reducing the impact of our business on nature (sorting and recycling of waste, and anti-waste policty, etc.).

Protecting the brand

One of the main reasons for the brand's success is protection of the brand, its products and expertise. And this is achieved through over 900 different protective measures (brands, models, patents and domain names) in nearly 100 countries. This began in 1909 with the trademark registration of the Opinel® brand, and subsequently on a regular basis, for example in 1955 and 2000 for the Virobloc® patent. The verbal brand Opinel®, the Crowned Hand® design and the shape of the knife are registered trademarks. Any modification whatsoever of Opinel® knives, in particular by adding or removing any element or by any other means, is prohibited. The monitoring of the markets by our teams and our commercial partners means we can quickly track down counterfeits and bring in our lawyers who are specialised in industrial property.

34.5

million euros of turnover in 2022

6.5

millions of knives per year

Annecy Shop

45%

export sales

museum

number of countries

180

employees

USA subisdiary

The Opinel Museum

The Opinel museum welcomes you to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, a town of history and renown. All year round except Sundays and public holidays.

Treat your loved ones or yourself to a unique and original personalised knife. You can engrave a first name, a date or any other message on one line of text, up to a limit of 20 characters.

The engraving service is offered from one unit, starting at €6.

If you would like to order more than a hundred units for a wedding, an association or business gifts: request a quote.

Differences in the colour of the engraving on the handle may appear depending on the grain of the wood. In accordance with Article L-121-20-2 No. 3 of the Consumer Code, engraved items can neither be returned nor exchanged. The guarantee on manufacturing defects remains the same.

Engraving examples

Need some help for your engraving ?