LAS VEGAS — Tramontina’s decision to launch a furniture collection to the hospitality market at Las Vegas Market last week may have come as a surprise to some, but not to those who know that the Brazilian brand’s reach extends far beyond cookware.
Tramontina got its start in the U.S. about 40 years ago as a cutlery company — reflecting its roots in Brazil as a blacksmith that offered knife sharpening — and later built up its cookware assortment. Today, its biggest product category is housewares, which includes a large assortment of kitchen products.
But the 113-year-old, family-owned Tramontina Group owns eight factories in Brazil, as well as a joint venture with a cast-iron factory. It manufactures about 22,000 items in categories that range from housewares to lawn, garden and construction tools, to furniture. It operates 19 international business units.
The company decided to flex its manufacturing muscle in other businesses in the U.S. About three or four months ago, it tapped Kurt Uhlendorf, who ran Tramontina’s American non-club retail business for 15 years, to serve as director of sales for foodservice and hospitality.
When he joined the company in 2008, Uhlendorf was charged with opening new retail segments, such as department stores.
Looking to do the same in the foodservice sector, the company identified Las Vegas Market as an opportune place to introduce itself to the hospitality industry and add furniture to its American portfolio. At the Inspired Home Show in March, he shared the company’s plan with others in the industry, including Dorothy Belshaw, president of Andmore, which owns Las Vegas Market.
“It worked out that they had a room available, and we grabbed it,” Uhlendorf said.
Its 1,256 square-foot space in Building C featured products for both retail and hospitality, including cookware, cutlery, steak knives, flatware, porcelain tabletop, cutting boards and chafing dishes. It also introduced its furniture, which includes wood tables and chairs, outdoor sofas and molded plastic chairs for poolside. The collection ranges from playful pieces to modern, Italian design-driven items.
