Our Place: The Story Behind The Brand's Cookware

Our Place is a cookware company that was founded in 2018 by Shiza Shahid and Amir Tehrani. The company manufactures its products across the globe, with its main sourcing locations being China, Mexico, and Thailand. The Always Pan, which is one of their most popular products, is made in China. The company chose this specific female-owned and operated facility due to its high-quality craftsmanship and attention to ethics. The facility is run by a woman who took over when she married into the family business of three generations. Our Place also produces drinking glasses in Thailand and ceramics, textiles, and stone in Mexico.

Our Place's Always Pan is made in China

Our Place is a cookware company that was founded on the idea of inclusivity and supporting multiethnic families. The company was launched in 2019 by co-founder Shiza Shahid and her partners. The product that started it all was the Always Pan, a ceramic-coated fry pan with two pour spouts and a spoon rest. The Always Pan is designed to replace eight traditional cookware items, including a fry pan, sauté pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, nonstick pan, spatula, and spoon rest.

The Always Pan is manufactured in China. The company chose this specific factory due to its high-quality craftsmanship and attention to ethics. The factory is run by a woman who took over when she married into the family business of three generations. Our Place chose this factory because of its dedication to balancing top-notch quality production with thought, care, and support for its team of 401 makers and administrators. All employees benefit from performance-based bonuses, health care, and regular professional development opportunities.

Our Place also manufactures products in Mexico and Thailand. The company values transparency and does not try to hide its manufacturing locations. Instead, it provides information about the manufacturing location of each type of item on its blog.

The Always Pan is made of cast aluminum for a lighter weight product that heats up faster and cooks more evenly. The interior has a non-toxic, environmentally-friendly, ceramic coating that is silicon-based and does not contain PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) and PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene). Our Place claims that this type of coating has been approved by the FDA and is considered the safest non-stick coating on the market.

The company also manufactures in Mexico

Our Place manufactures some of its products in Mexico. The company sources mezcal glasses, ceramics, textiles, and stone from Mexico. The company also works with several Mexican studios and collectives, including Xaquixe Glass Innovation Studio, La Chicharra Cerámica, Las Mujeres Tejedores de Yo'o Kua'a, Textiles de Soledad, and La Familia Rojas García.

Xaquixe Glass Innovation Studio is based in Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, MX. The studio was founded by Salime, one of the co-founders, who wanted to bring glassmaking back to her native Oaxaca. She met her co-founder, Christian, and together they created a line of sustainable glassware. Their glassmaking process is optimized for energy conservation, using locally sourced post-consumer glass from the community and recycled oil from local restaurants to power their ovens.

La Chicharra Cerámica is also based in Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, MX. The studio was founded by two fine artists, María Fernanda Oviedo Mendiola and Eduardo López Cervantes, with a mission to push the boundaries of Mexican ceramic tradition by combining modern techniques with artisan craftsmanship. Their glazes are crafted from local clays and dyes, creating unique blends inspired by nature.

Las Mujeres Tejedores de Yo'o Kua'a is a collective of 20 indigenous artisan weavers from San Juan Colorado, a mountainous coastal region in southwest Oaxaca. They carry on the tradition of backstrap weaving and have been working together for twenty years. They also rescued the heirloom coyuchi cotton crop, which is grown locally in San Juan Colorado and used in their beautiful textiles.

Textiles de Soledad is a family business based in Oaxaca de Juárez, specializing in hand-woven textiles for the home. Their team of five is divided into weavers and tailors, and they use a wooden pedal loom with four shafts to prepare the loom. Up to 2800 threads are tied by hand before weaving can begin.

La Familia Rojas García is a family of volcanic stone artisans based in Puebla, MX. The family consists of eight family members who work together to hand-carve artisanal goods from locally mined volcanic rock. Head of the family, Ismael, starts his day at 6 AM in the local mines, extracting stone that he brings home to carve. The family carries on the tradition passed down through the generations.

Drinking Glasses are crafted in Thailand

Our Place is a cookware company that sources its products from across the globe, with manufacturing locations in China, Mexico, and Thailand. The company's product line includes a range of items, from pans and ceramics to drinking glasses and textiles. While the majority of their products are made in China, one class of items, the drinking glasses, are crafted in Thailand.

The drinking glasses made by Our Place are crafted with care and attention to detail by a team of expert glassblowers in a factory located just outside Bangkok, Thailand. This factory has been in operation since 1974 and is dedicated to the traditional handmade technique of glassblowing, ensuring that each glass is a unique and precision-crafted product. The process begins with hot glass being gathered from the furnace and molded using specialized tools to create the distinctive shape of each glass. During production, each glass passes between 10 different team members to guarantee quality at every stage, with the factory providing professional development opportunities to help artisans refine their craft.

The company's commitment to responsible production and support for its makers is evident in their choice of this Thai factory. Our Place values the professional development and well-being of the artisans, ensuring they have opportunities to develop their craft and take pride in their work. The factory's long history and dedication to traditional techniques showcase the expertise and craftsmanship that goes into each drinking glass.

Our Place's choice of manufacturing locations reflects its values of inclusivity and support for artisanal makers worldwide. By partnering with factories in different countries, the company brings together artisans from diverse backgrounds, uniting them at the table, which is central to the company's mission. This commitment to diversity and responsible production practices sets Our Place apart and makes their drinking glasses, crafted in Thailand, a unique and meaningful addition to any table.

The Eternal Strength Cleaver is crafted in China

The factory has been in business for over 20 years and employs 80 expert knifesmiths, some of whom have been crafting premium knives for over 15 years. The factory is one of the only makers that use traditional cryogenic methods to treat their steel, resulting in a blade that stays sharper and stronger for longer.

Our Place prioritises worker benefits and compensation, and the mastersmiths at the Cleaver Factory receive competitive salaries and benefits, including paid time off, bonuses, healthcare, free lunches, and birthday activities.

The company also values environmental sustainability and ethical labour practices. They chose this particular factory because of its dedication to balancing top-notch production quality with care and support for its team. All employees benefit from performance-based bonuses, healthcare, and professional development opportunities.

Our Place's commitment to transparency is reflected in their willingness to share information about their manufacturing locations. They want their customers to know that their products are made by artisans from across the globe, bringing diverse skills and traditions to the table.

The company chose its China factory for its ethical treatment of workers

Our Place is a cookware company that was founded in 2018 by Shiza Shahid and Amir Tehrani. The company's mission is to unite the world through food and cooking, with a focus on inclusivity and educational initiatives. They launched their first product, the Always Pan, in 2019, which became extremely popular on Instagram. The Always Pan is designed to replace eight different pieces of cookware, and the company offers a 100-day trial for the product.

Our Place manufactures its products across the globe, with factories in China, Mexico, and Thailand. The company chose its China factory for its ethical treatment of workers. They researched tens of factories and visited 15 in person before making their decision. The factory that manufactures the Always Pan is run by a woman who took over through marriage into a family business of three generations.

Our Place chose this factory because of its dedication to balancing top-notch production quality with care and support for its team of 401 makers and administrators. All employees benefit from performance-based bonuses, healthcare, and regular professional development opportunities. The company also performs regular site visits and interviews with on-site teams to ensure that product quality and employee ethics are being upheld.

In addition to its commitment to ethical labour practices, Our Place also prioritizes sustainability and environmental responsibility. The Always Pan is made with 100% post-consumer recycled aluminum and does not contain potentially harmful toxins such as PFAS, PFOA, and PTFE. The company also uses biodegradable materials for its packaging and is working towards finding partners who can reuse or recycle their lightly used cookware returns.

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