1931 Eugen Hollaender founded the Amefa company in The Netherlands
1948 Amefa focuses on the production of cutlery
1952 Development of Amefa brand sales outside Europe
1964 Through the development of a new technique, Amefa silver plated cutlery gained an excellent reputation
1974 Production methods were modernized and sales of the Amefa brand grows significantly in mass retail
1990 Sales expanded to all main retailers in Europe
1996 Amefa became one of the major volume brands in Europe through its international subsidiaries
2001 Launch of the high end Amefa premiere ranges
2017 Amefa opens a subsidiary in the USA
Amefa
The 'Apeldoornsche Messenfabriek' (Knife Factory Apeldoorn), was founded by Eugen Hollaender in 1931. At the age of 25 he came to Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) from Germany and started his own business in razor blades. Growing competition in the forties made Eugen Hollaender decide to aim at developing and producing flatware, in addition to razor blades. At the end of the forties, the production of razor blades came to a full stop.
Rudi Hollaender, the eldest son in the Hollaender family, took over the management of the company in the seventies. Under his leadership, Amefa grew into an international manufacturer and trading company of flatware and kitchen knives. With a European network of companies the sales and service continued to develop.
Erik Hollaender, Rudi's younger brother, concentrated on new production opportunities in other regions, with focus on Asia. Offices in Hong Kong and more recently in China were opened.
Fred Hollaender, the youngest of the three sons, took charge of the production company in Apeldoorn. Through the years, the production activities were reduced and the company transformed into an international distribution centre.
In the early nineties, production in Apeldoorn was shut down all together. In 2006 the Dutch branch moved to a new location in Apeldoorn.
