![]() Since 2004, the Van Berkel brand is managed by an Italian entrepreneurial group, which activity is focused on manufacturing modern electric slicing machines, which have different characteristics such as speed of cut. How to find an authentic restored Berkel slicer? While Berkel slicing machines continue to enjoy an excellent reputation on the market, the oldest and restored machines have become cult objects, sought after and listed by collectors, and antique dealers, as well as highly appreciated by interior designers and used in the most exclusive delicatessen shops, high-end hotels and restaurants, and in the homes of quality and tradition food lovers. But that’s what happened with Berkel meat slicing machines.Įven after the death of its creator (in 1952), the Berkel flywheel slicing machine remained a true icon of style for its design, shapes, harmony of movement, the shine of the blade and the typical red color, which soon became a distinctive mark, capable of evoking memories, charm and elegance. ![]() It’s really an unexpected thing to be able to turn a slicer into a style icon. The Van Berkel slicing machine: iconic tool and status symbol In the United States of America, in the 1930s, Van Berkel received an award as the best slicing machines manufacturer in the world. – The Van Berkel meat slicing machine quickly became a real multinational company with production plants all over the world. – Austria, Czechoslovakia and Italy (1924) – United States, South America, Norway, Germany and France (1911) – Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland (1909) In time, several factories were born to manufacture and satisfy the demand for Berkel slicing machines, at an international level: When the advantages were evident, Berkel slicing machines were soon recognized as valid instruments and spread all over the world. He showed the butchers how his machine could help improve their everyday work, but not only that, he showed them how the slicer, its speed and accuracy could originate an increase in sales. The introduction of the Berkel meat slicer, however, caught the very first criticism precisely from the insiders, the butchers and the employees of various food shops, who saw the slicer as a threat to their work. – 5 special meat slicing machines, Model C. – 3 Van Berkel meat slicing machines of reduced dimensions, Model B – 76 Van Berkel meat slicing machines Model A The first-year production saw the development and marketing of: Since then, the company has registered great success, by presenting an unprecedented level of innovation to the market. On October 12 th 1898 in Rotterdam the van Berkel trading company was founded and the first factory for the production of flywheel slicers started its activity. Creation of the Van Berkel Slicing Machine company He made a proposal to the owner to transform his old workshop into a laboratory for manufacturing of his flywheel slicers. However, he didn’t have the necessary means to start the production of his slicer, and decided to rely on the forging workshop in Ljsbergen, which was in bankruptcy. ![]() ![]() That was the basic principle of the first Van Berkel meat slicer.Ī short time later, Berkel realized the enormous potential and decided to patent the slicer that would revolutionize the meat cutting sector. This new instrument, the Van Berkel meat slicing machine, combined a large circular and concave blade, with a large flywheel that was operated by hand and a mobile cart that automatically advanced towards the blade. Van Berkel managed to build a brilliant device, which immediately proved to be extremely accurate and functional, trying it directly on his daily work, inside his butcher shop. At that point, tired of controversy, Van Berkel had the intuition to create a machine able to mechanically reproduce the movement of the human hand when slicing. In fact, it is said that Berkel’s customers were constantly complaining about the irregularity of cuts of beef. What was Berkel’s greatest intuition, capable of revolutionizing the market?Įverything started from the complaints of his clients. In a few years he became an entrepreneur and started commercializing his great invention: the Van Berkel meat slicers. Growing up, the young and brilliant Van Berkel, decided to combine his passion for mechanics with his work as a butcher, developing a system for slicing meat that included a mechanical device that could facilitate the work of butchers, providing more uniform cuts in terms of slice size and thickness. On February 5 th, 1869, in Enschot (Netherlands), Willhelmus Adrianus Van Berkel was born. Historical notes on the birth of the most famous meat slicing machines in the world, a symbol of craftsmanship, style and quality. ![]()
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