A cookware company that offers product integrity
The word tranquillo means calm, quiet, without worry or disturbance.
The Tranquillo company of Dresden, Germany has created various lines of goods intended to be visually calming, sustainably manufactured and purposeful. That brings us to the Tranquillo line of bakeware. It seems odd to think of bakeware as being quiet or calm. Once you see the hand stamped patterns in small softly coloured motifs, you get it. The stoneware is pretty. It’s pretty sitting empty on your counter.
Some of the most versatile pieces are the quiche pans in three sizes and a variety of patterns. Obviously, you can bake in them but the large one, approximately 11 inches, could be a small tray for tea or coffee and some cookies. The 9-inch pan is the right size for holding your collection of cooking oils or other condiments. I find oil bottles always seep a bit and leave messy rings. One of these pans keeps things neat and tidy, so easy to clean too. The small 4-inch dishes could be trinket or key holders or might work for wine bottles to save stains on your table linens.
My favourite piece of Tranquillo is the Gugelhupf, or small tube pan. It’s just the right size for a small cake.
And it looks good on display on an open shelf or behind glass doors. The loaf pan is another favourite: simple blue patterns with a white interior and perfect for cinnamon or other sweet breads.
The retro oval baking dish looks so pretty, presenting your casserole at the table. You know we eat with our eyes first.
Christian Amthor and Michael Kremer have been running Tranquillo since 2003. These men are the driving force to ensure the company works with manufacturers who maintain high social standards. Some of these manufacturers are now fifth generation companies. Tranquillo also makes use of the Business Social Compliance Initiative or BSCI. The BSCI ensures manufacturers and producers in Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, China and Latin America meet high standards in labour, such as fair compensation and safety in the workplace, ethical business behaviour, environmental protection and protection for younger workers, to name a few. In many ways, European countries have led the way in creating and enforcing these sort of standards. Holding manufacturers and producers accountable to higher standards offers a measure of product security and fair trade. And as consumers, we benefit from that integrity.
When you pick up a piece of Tranquillo bakeware, it’s easy just to see the prettiness of it. It’s reassuring to know it was made with care and consideration for the workers and the environment as well. It’s also good to know it will bake well. As Amthor and Kremer say, “the path can be made colorful.”