Authenticity, performance, robustness

1945, on the tip of Brittany in Finistère’s Bigouden country Jean-Marie Bosser who was an electrician and radio repairman at the time, received an unusual request from his sister-in-law.

After extending her home, her new kitchen lacked a fireplace to heat her cast iron plate for making pancakes. The solution? To build a gas portable stove that would work with the cast iron plates used in Breton homes. After making some adjustments to achieve an even distribution of heat across the plate, the project met with success! Buoyed by this initial success, Jean-Marie started to build a full prototype with just the resources to hand. Driven by the potential of this new appliance, it would take over a year to complete. “Seeing as this thing has no past, it must have a future,” he declared.

1949 marked the entry onto the market of the first gas crêpe makers.

After several years of refinements to arrive at a high-performance appliance, local professionals were given a presentation. The word-of-mouth effect took off immediately and thus the adventure began.

1953, the adventure was named: Krampouz.

The officially registered trade name was of course inspired by the young company’s business, since krampouz means “pancakes” in the breton language. In the 1950s, regional sales of gas stoves grew steadily. To improve the technical performance of his appliance, jean-marie bosser designed a special plate fitted with mounds that absorbed the heat. By the end of the 1950s, between 2,000 and 3,000 plates had been sold each year and it remains a standard model to this day. Jean-marie’s insistence on high quality and aesthetics encouraged him to open his own foundry in 1965 so that he could bring the production of the frames for his crêpe makers in-house. In making this substantial investment, he was betting on a brilliant future beyond brittany’s borders: and in the 1960s, 260 crêpe makers were shipped to new york.

1971 saw a minor revolution for Krampouz when it launched the first electric pancake maker.

This new appliance would shake up the customs of local professionals who were only used to cooking with gas. The electrical appliances that were on the market at that time had a bad reputation. Never mind! They went ahead and delivered these electric pancake makers to the crêperies which adopted them eventually.

1981, the “billig” entered homes in brittany.

Prior to that date, all the crêpe makers leaving the factory were aimed at professional pancake makers. Just ten years after the professional range, so it was that a household product entered the market. The famous “billig” was an immediate success and quickly became established as the iconic product of the brand that was now available to the general public.

1984, transition at the top for Krampouz: Jean-Marie’s son Michel Bosser takes the reins.

The company’s success was cemented with the arrival of a number of new products and another milestone was passed in the company’s history with the creation of an in-house design studio. As the number of projects multiplied, one constant remained: the high levels of reliability and quality of krampouz appliances. These high standards elevated innovation to become the driving force of the company.

1990, around 150 different appliances now bore the Krampouz name, including gas and electric crêpe makers, as well as other new products.

As such, Krampouz was manufacturing worktops for crêpe makers, stainless steel units for use in professional kitchens and crêpe maker carts used in mobile catering. Accessories complemented the product offering with a range of spreaders, ladles, spatulas, and cleaning pads, etc.

1997. A new product appeared on the supermarket shelves and on teleshopping channels.

The first Krampouz crêpe maker to feature a non-stick plate won the general public over. The company’s goal? To offer a reliable and easy-to-use counter top pancake maker. Featuring a thermostat and a patented batter spreader, the home use crêpe maker took off. On pancake day, mardi gras or any occasion at all, in brittany and elsewhere, friends came over to enjoy pancakes made on the crêpe maker.

2001. Krampouz moved away from Pouldreuzic (the cradle of crêpe making as well as the famous Hénaff pâté!) and settled near Quimper in Pluguffan (Finistère, Brittany, France).

The company affixed its red and black logo onto the new more modern and larger factory.

2001. Krampouz acquired a belgian manufacturer of professional waffle irons.

This new range of appliances complemented the crêpe makers to expand the snack product offering. The waffle makers were a big hit in france and rapidly drove sales abroad. The Krampouz brand was gradually becoming established as global leader in high-end electrical cast iron waffle makers for professional use.

2006. Krampouz changed hands with the arrival of Serge Kergoat.

When Michel Bosser put the family business up for sale, he was asking for a lot. The new owner would need to have passion and competence and share michel’s values and breton roots. Krampouz was an obvious choice for Serge Kergoat as he had been wanting to join the company for several years. And so, the SME from brittany, which in a few years had become the world leader in professional pancake makers, changed hands.

2006-2010, new strategic focus, same values.

The new ownership gave a new impetus for Krampouz to expand. The catalogue was diversified with the 2006 arrival of planchas for domestic use, product ranges were expanded, the company was organised and the brand image was strengthened. The key to this success? Never sacrifice quality and apply the winning formula on which the company’s reputation was built and which now represented its DNA make-up: innovation, reliability, robustness and ease of use. Krampouz believes in offering all the benefits of its expertise and experience to professionals and consumers alike. Through its research & development department, the company is committed to constant innovation based on customer feedback. One example borne out of this customer feedback was the patented easy clean system that enables waffle irons and contact-grills to be quickly disassembled for easier and totally hygienic cleaning.

2015. Krampouz ramped up its presence in the outdoor cooking market by making substantial investments and launching a new range of planchas for home use.

Inspired by professional know-how and created by a designer, these new stainless steel and high-quality planchas married ease of use, cooking performance and robustness. Today, they have earned their place in french homes and are sold in all major retailers.

2017, recognition of french know-how: Krampouz was certified as a living heritage company (epv).

Having invented the crêpe makers we know today, Krampouz has developed unique know-how over 70 years through the design and manufacture of its cooking appliances. Recognised and accredited since 2017 by the living heritage company label, this precious know-how and guarantee of quality has lasted and has been passed down through the years from employee to employee.

2019. Krampouz joined france’s Groupe SEB.

The breton company continues to develop as part of this group, a global specialist in household appliances. A new dimension to accelerate the company’s plans and boost its growth in the french and international markets.