Cristel, the high-end cookware specialist, to open a second production site

Along the forest-lined road leading to the village of Fesches-le-Châtel, in the northeastern Doubs region of France, two abandoned brick and stone buildings will soon be coming back to life. Typical of 19^th-century factory architecture, this industrial brownfield site is set to be taken over by Cristel, which is located just a few hundred meters away. The sale is expected to be finalized on Thursday, February 26. Cristel plans to install a second production line across the 3,700 square-meters f space, a move that has been made necessary by surging demand for high-end stainless steel saucepans, frying pans and stockpots. This is also a nod to history: The site once hosted one of the factories belonging to the Japy manufacturing firm, which was the second-largest company in France under the Second Empire as well as Cristel's ancestor. It was here, in 1826 – two centuries ago – that the first industrially stamped saucepans were produced.

Published on February 25, 2026, at 1:27 am (Paris), updated on February 25, 2026, at 8:26 am