The 2017 Coutellia trade fair will be grand
Coutellia has great aspirations!
How can we sum up the upcoming 27th anniversary Coutellia trade fair that will take place this May? Maybe by mentioning the statistics from last year’s event – the 2,500 m² expo center was filled with 230 stalls with exhibitors from approximately 20 different countries. One thing is sure: this year’s must-see international trade fair featuring artistic and traditional cutlery merits a little detour to Thiers! Last year’s fair was a tremendous success having more than 5,600 visitors in attendance. Will the record be broken this year?
It is highly probable. This year the famous French cutlery village will welcome many of the artistic cutlery sector’s most renowned specialists as well as some well known celebrities to the trade fair.
Aimé Jacquet and Michel Troisgros will be attending Coutellia
Each year, Coutellia organizes several presentations celebrating French knives, including: a blacksmith’s forge, workshops demonstrating how to build knives, guided visits at the museums located in the town center (for example the Cutlery Museum), cutlery contests and many more exciting events.
This year there will be a cutlery contest and one of the jury members is the famous retired soccer player and coach Aimé Jacquet who won the world championship in 1998. Another jury member will be Michel Troisgros the renowned French chef and owner of the reputed restaurant La Maison Troisgros located in Roanne, which has a 3-star Michelin rating. Thiers is very proud to welcome such top-tier personalities at this event!
Coutellia: practical information
The 2017 Coutellia trade fair will be taking place in Thiers, France May 20 and 21, 2017 in the Jo Cognet - ZI du Breuil expo center.
Opening Hours: Saturday 9 AM – 6 PM and Sunday 10AM - 6 PM
Entrance Fee: Each ticket includes entrance to the trade fair, presentations and entrance to the Cutlery Museum.
Day pass: €10 per person
Weekend pass: €15 per person
Free for all children less than 15 years of age.
Thiers cutlery statistics
Artistic, traditional and professional grade knives
The 2017 Coutellia trade fair has many exciting events in store and gives us a chance to shine a spotlight on the cutlery industry in Thiers and in France.
Thiers is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France and is known for its long history as the country’s cutlery hub and for its impressive knowledge and skill in the cutlery field. The city of Thiers is considered to be the capitol of French-Made cutlery!
The artistic and traditional cutlery industry has been shown to boost the region’s economy. The Coutellia trade fair’s success over the past few years is proof of the industry’s popularity. Kitchen cutlery and knives make up a huge part of the industry and they are a true symbol of the region.
Impressive statistics!
What is better than statistics for showing the importance of the cutlery industry in Thiers?
Thiers and French-made cutlery
Every day approximately 300,000 cutlery items are manufactured in Thiers. Keep in mind that this number encompasses every cutlery item produced in Thiers, from kitchen knives to table knives, pocketknives, razors, forks and industrial-grade blades (created for special use by mechanics, doctors, and restaurants). These items are manufactured by a wide array of companies, including artisans and both small and large companies.
80% of French-made knives are manufactured in Thiers and its environs. There are approximately 20,000 cutlery models, giving proof of the region’s rich diversity within the field. The region is rightfully called the French cradle of cutlery.
Buyers and exporters
The Thiers cutlery industry has a very varied list of clientele. According to data collected by CCIR Auvergne in its Economic Study and Observations, in 2016, 31% of sales were industrial, 25% retail, 20% wholesale and 12% individual consumers.
In 2014, exports of cutlery products as well as metal tools, hardware and objects shipped outside of Auvergne increased 233 million Euros.