Knives on the Cutting-Edge of Sustainability

Best known for its signature knife collections—from the recently launched Adventure Chef collection of portable folding chef’s knives for outdoor cooking, to the popular Oliva Elite collection of heirloom-quality knives with Mediterranean olive wood handles—Messermeister also produces kitchen cutlery, cooking tools, and knife storage and sharpening solutions. 

The philanthropic sisters have woven giving back into the fabric of the company, regularly supporting nonprofit organizations in communities where they do business and partner with charitable causes such as Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen. 

“We are always looking at how we as a company can make a difference,” says Dressler Wilson, who along with her sister has moved the industry forward by placing an unprecedented focus on sustainability. 

“Steel is already recyclable, so the blade is sustainable,” says Dressler-Crowley. “There are metal recycling places everywhere—it’s the handles that are the issue for the environment.”

According to the sisters, most knife brands use polyoxymethylene or other thermoplastics, as well as EVA foam for packaging, which has spurred Messermeister to be more inventive, create new designs, and try to find new materials that are sustainable. For packaging, the company uses a simple black box made from recyclable heavy stock paper. 

“We are trying to make it so that our knife handles are sustainable,” says Dressler Wilson. “We’ve also made a concerted effort not to have crazy packaging that will go straight to landfill.” 

THE ITEM

After 40 years of making their staple line of German knives, Messermeister went back to the drawing board to reinvent the way knives are made. After two years of development, the result was the company’s Custom line, featuring a new knife that offers a modern take on the classic triple-rivet, full-tang German design. In addition to an upgrade in materials, the company made the design modular with removable, interchangeable fasteners and handle scales, enabling customers to personalize their knife with their own unique combination of colors and materials. Now, their self-proclaimed “knife for life” approach can grow and evolve with customers’ ever-changing lifestyles. 

As part of the company’s Custom knife collection, Messermeister has introduced the sustainable Custom 5 Piece Magnet Block Set. While most knife line handles are usually made from some type of plastic, the Custom collection comes with either a sustainable reclaimed canvas handle pressed with a natural resin or repurposed wood shavings pressed in a natural resin. If a customer wants a fresh look, they don’t need to throw the knives away—they can just change it out with a different handle color. And if one ever does throw a knife handle out, they are non-toxic and fully biodegradable, designed to break down in the soil over the years.

“We were trying to reinvent our standard laser-cut triple-rivet handle, which used to be called our Park Plaza collection,” says Dressler Wilson of the company’s newest line. “It was important to us not to have a plastic handle. We wanted to get away from the Polyoxymethylene or ABS [thermoplastic] handles and reinvent a great, sustainable knife line. If you compare to what other German knife companies are doing in this category, the quality is not even comparable.”

THE PRICE

The Custom five-piece set retails for US$399.95.

DESCRIPTION

Handcrafted in the historic German cutlery capital of Solingen, Messermeister’s Custom set consists of an 8-inch chef’s knife, 8-inchscalloped offset knife, 6-inch utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, and an acacia magnet block. 

The Custom base model handle is precision milled from an exceptionally tough material made of reclaimed canvas and natural non-phenolic resin. It has a natural subtle texture for a more secure grip; the company’s newest handle design has a ramped bolster for improved grip ergonomics, and it is cambered for optimal control. 

Ideal for gifting, the blade itself can be customized—lasered with a name or initials, even a wedding date—and like all Messermeister products, can be shipped globally, and is distributed throughout Europe, Australia, and the U.S.

WHAT’S THE GOOD?

While Messermeister has always incorporated charitable endeavors into its brand identity, it is now sharing its mission to create sustainable knives moving forward—no more plastic handles—and the knife collections it’s developing right now all have handles that are biodegradable.

“It’s in the fabric of our company to do good and give back,” says Dressler Wilson. “You can see that in our partnership with José Andres’ World Central Kitchen, helping people around the world during natural disasters or even wars; or with the local Food For Thought, bringing healthy food to kids here in Ojai.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Messermeister is launching Forge: Shaping the World into a Better Place, a new partnership with acclaimed culinary personalities. (Chefs April Bloomfield, Edward Lee and Claudette Zepeda are the program’s first three master ambassadors.) Messermeister will work with one chef per year to design a sustainable knife reflecting that chef’s personality, with 20% or more of the profits going to that chef’s nonprofit of choice. 

Messermeister and the chefs will collaborate to design knives with artisans in Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the signature knives—Edward Lee’s knife handle will be made from Maker’s Mark Bourbon barrel wood—will be sold on Messermeister.com and in select retail stores.