The story of the Opinel knife begins in 1890 in a small smithy near St.-Jean-de-Maurienne in the French Alps when the grandson of the company founder, Joseph Opinel, assembled the Opinel pocket knife. During the First World War the production moved to a former tannery in Cognin near Chambéry, followed by the relocation to Chambéry itself in 1974. Today, this plant counts 115 employees and has an output of about five million knives a year, all of them fulfilling highest technical standards.
This tradition comes with an obligation. Already in 1875, Opinel had acquired a building in St.-Jean-de-Maurienne, where Jean Opinel, Joseph's brother, set up a smithy in 1927. Until 1986 it served as an auxiliary production site and was subsequently converted into a museum. Its displays illustrate the history of the company, including the most important milestones at various production sites, and explains the manufacturing process as well as market trends. With 50,000 visitors a year it is one of the most popular places in Savoy.