KITCHEN KNIVES & ACCESSORIES - TOG KNIVES
Form and Function “
I place equal weight on form and function in design and neither can be anything less than excellent,” says Bert Beagley-Brown, managing director and founder of TOG Knives. Entering the new year with a focus on form and function is key to TOG
Knives’ aim to provide a state-of-the art product offering. After working as a designer and founding a sustainable design consultancy in London, Beagley-Brown began designing kitchen knives for a cutlery producer in Seki, the Samurai capital of Japan. This instigated Beagley-Brown’s mission to design the best kitchen knives for the western market. “Our core products are TOG kitchen knives which I spent two years designing. They are handmade in the Samurai capital of Japan using techniques and process that have evolved from 800 years of sword making. The knives can be recognised by the copper layers in the blades as well as the handles which are made from eco-stabilised maple and laser engraved with a 600-year-old fine Japanese pattern. Our aim is to get the UK to love cutting food – using an awesome kitchen knife revolutionises your experience of food preparation,” he says. Beagley-Brown adds “Our 17cm ‘Santoku’ multipurpose kitchen knife is our bestseller and the one knife I would suggest someone gets in order to revolutionise their food prep. You’ll never look back and it will almost certainly become the start of a collection. It has 72/76 five- star reviews on Trustpilot. Apart from that, our Higonokami Stainless Japanese folding pocket knife is very popular, as is our ‘Hare’ endgrain walnut and cherry chopping board which is handmade in Yorkshire.” As we enter 2023, Beagley-Brown says “In 2023 we will be launching some new kitchen knives which we haven’t done for a few years, so that’s very exciting. We’ll also be partnering with some very cool people and brands, and starting to run limited edition collaboration products and competitions. In 2022, we raised £356k via Crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, hitting our target in 24 hours and overfunding to 239%. TOG welcomed 700 new shareholders in the company and the funds will allow us to overhaul our supply chain and marketing, as well as launch many new products over the coming years – plus build a new website in 2023.”
“In 2023, I expect to see the continued strong growth of sustainable design, vegan food, outdoor cooking, Japanese kitchen knives, Chinese kitchen knives and also experiential retail. We’ll also see big changes in online advertising and social media commerce. As well as our kitchen knives on which the business was built, our chopping boards, sharpening and storage products embody our beliefs in natural
20 | January/February 2023
housewareslive.net
Bert Beagley-Brown, managing director and founder of TOG Knives, highlights the business’ mission to design the best kitchen knives on the market.
materials, environmental responsibility, design, quality and performance. In late 2022, we launched two new chopping boards, a cheese board, a leather strop for fine sharpening of knives and also a tiny kitchen axe for butchery and making fires. There is a lot of new stuff going on ‘under the hood’ as we prepare for growth. People will see a new look to TOG in 2023,” he adds.
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