Today we have an opportunity to talk to the owner of the first-hand information about the company Robbe & Berking. He sees the production process, knows the customers, and personally deals with the sales. Mr. Oliver Janssen answers on all our questions frankly and from the heart.

Hello, Mr. Janssen, you represent the company Robbe & Berking, which is the best in the production of silver products in the world. Could you please tell us the history of the foundation of the company.

Nikolaus Christoph Robbe and Robert Berking in Flensburg founded Robbe & Berking in 1874. Until the beginning of the 20th century, only family members worked in the production. The first workers were hired later.

From the construction of a small factory in 1874, you have extremely developed your workshop in Flensburg. Tell me, please, exactly how this huge rise took place.

The founders in 1874 formulated the principle: "To make it and make it cheaper, but no one can do it better than Robbe & Berking". From the very beginning, we focused on the quality of our skills. Nevertheless, the development in the direction of the world leader in the production of silverware and silver-plated cutlery began primarily with the arrival of Robert Berking in the 50s of the last century. Mr. Berking not only adhered to the traditions, but the company has also developed significantly. Thanks to his knife structures, a completely new era has begun. Even today, many of these designs are extremely popular among our customers. In addition, they have not lost their earthiness, because today Robbe & Berking is a family business, which stays to its corporate culture and it is not only about the production, but also about the atmosphere of the house, which the client feels.

To this day, Robbe & Berking is a family business. How do you manage to keep such a big company in the family in the modern world?

This, of course, affects many factors, which are particularly necessary. First, we need a person, who loves the company, he feels the spirit of the time and he is able to pass it all to the next generations.

The company is still located in Flensburg and you really show all the best skills. How long does it take you to make one spoon and how long do customers wait for their orders?

The delivery time must be determined exactly by the production time. As a rule, we must send every product from the cutlery immediately to the warehouse. Robbe & Berking tries to produce products not to order, but to have a well-stocked warehouse. This is an important part of our service - although over each piece of cutlery there are 80-100 skilled hands at our factory, as long as each part meets the Robbe & Berking quality standard, they must be stored in our warehouse.

Do you stick to the techniques of Mr. Robbin today or have you modernized everything?

You can still find the methods of production used by the founders of the company, so not much has been changed since 1874. Nevertheless, we maintain our factory always up to date. In particular, the time for machining and electroplating (silver-plated products) has been improved.

Explain me, please, how exactly have you built the process of producing one tableware when it is silver-plated?

In principle, this is similar to the production of cutlery of pure silver. However, there is the complexity here, which lies in the details: while most other manufacturers simply use stainless steel and silver cutlery as the basis, Robbe & Berking chooses alpaca for the basis for the silvered cutlery. An alloy of copper, zinc and nickel, also called nickel silver – it is explained by the shine of the steel silver with blue-gray and cold colors - alpaca shines almost like silver and allows us to make the thread much thinner than silver-plated cutlery with steel core.

Silver is a precious metal, as are gilded spoons, which you offer. Tell me, please, your opinion on people who do not use silverware as appliances, but use them as the investments.

First of all, a spoon and fork are a commodity and it should be used daily. There is nothing abstract, like in stocks, for example. If we consider a long-term period, then our cutlery can be a valuable contribution. At the same time, I see our silver cutlery as a contribution to the taste, which a person can appreciate by just using them.

You probably know about many prejudices about table silver - permanent cleaning, the appearance of black plaque, etc.?

Silver, which is not used, gets angry with the black color! The only thing that causes streaks on silver is sulfur. It is in microscopic pores of silver and in combination with oxygen, silver begins to oxidize. Daily use of cutlery prevents this chemical process. Depending on the environment, silver should be used once a year to continue to shine in its beautiful warm glow.

For which purposes do people buy cutlery, accessories now?

Most consumers currently choose silverware for use and enjoying it every day. Often it is given for the weddings or other occasions.

What is your opinion on the trend of silverware?

Silver hardly follows fashion. Since silver has survived for so long, it is timeless. Nevertheless, at present the trend is reduced to the use of straight lines.

The price of silver and gold has increased dramatically in recent years. Can you keep your prices?

We should increase our prices this year, but not significantly - for the first time in four years.

If you look at the prices of silver and compare with the price of a lunch set - now sincerely, so much silver can not contain a set, right? Can I ask you what does explain your prices?

In order to make an object of silver, not only silver is really necessary. First of all, I need people who in turn need machines, for example. In short, the final product is a silver spoon, but it also requires the fine arts of our employees. This allows us to produce the most complex and most laborious forms and details. Nevertheless, Robbe & Berking is characterized by a very good price-quality ratio, customer-oriented.

Robbe & Berking is currently the world leader. Tell me, please, why this is so. What does help you to stand out from others?

There is an important principle in our house: "We are making as much effort as possible." We have been manufacturing all silver and silver-plated products ourselves since its foundation in 1874 in Germany, so the whole process is in our own hands. Robbe & Berking also works almost exclusively with silver, so we have become real experts with the passage of decades.

Where do you see Robbe & Berking in the next few years? Do you think your company will change course or have you already arrived at the final destination?

The path is the goal! Of course, the company has goals, but after achieving the goal, the next appears. In addition, history teaches us that the world is constantly changing, so our duty is to consider these changes: I will give you an example: more than 25 years ago, the "Alta" series of Wilfried Moll appeared on the market. Many thought - and some of them even said that we will not "survive". Today, Alt is one of our absolute aimlessness, so successful that we are working in this direction, together with Mr. Moll, still, the results are in the form of works by Riva and the Sphinx. Perhaps, it is possible to admit that these works will be on our flag, which will lead the silver products of Robbe & Berking into the future.

Are there significant differences between the European and Eastern European markets? What does your experience say? Are there different trade trends in different markets?

After we evaluated here and later the Eastern European market, we were able to recognize the shift towards the purist decors. Northern European customers prefer modern simplicity. However, even in the countries themselves there are great differences, so in fact it can hardly be said that each country will have a distinctive taste. People are just people - and Robbe & Berking is ready and we can individualize every masterpiece produced again.

The online store www.BREGNER.com sells luxury goods all over the world. For many of our clients, luxury is something unusual, for others - ordinary. What do you see in luxury?

Luxury is always in the eyes of the beholder. It is as unique as the person himself is.

Luxury is a word that has many different meanings for people who deal with it. I would like to know what luxury means to you.

For me, first of all, time is luxury and, of course, luck.

In conclusion, it will stay of course  between us and our readers, how many table things should a person have and how much do you have?

Even before I came to Robbe & Berking, I collected the entire Alt collection. At the same time, I will say that there are enough five different silverware canteens (although not for 12 people). But I am not an indicator. In principle, one tableware is enough, if it is enough!

Thank you Mr. Janssen, it was a pleasure to communicate with you. The BREGNER team wishes you all the best in the future!