If you’re here, you probably came across a bin, sink side, or a kitchen utensil or two made by Brabantia, and you’re wondering whether or not they’re worth the money.
Not that long ago, I found myself doing the same after stumbling upon a few stainless steel kitchen utensils that really caught my eye, which an online retailer had put on sale at a significant discount at the time.
Regular readers of this blog know that one of the things I do is to research who I’m buying my food—and the tools that I use for cooking it—from.
As much as the choice at hand and my budget permit, I try to buy from family-owned businesses whose values and practices I generally agree with.
So here’s what I found about Brabantia and why I ultimately ended up buying from them (I’ll probably get to posting a few reviews soon!).
Where is the company located?
Brabantia is a private Dutch company that makes well-designed products for the home. It was founded in 1919 in the city of Aalst in the Netherlands’ North Brabant province, where its name is derived from.
It’s also a family-owned business with a 100-year track record of producing high-quality products, providing excellent customer service, and genuinely caring for the environment.
Today, Brabantia is headed by CEO Tijn van Elderen, the fourth-generation owner.
“We know a lot of people do not like doing chores. But we spend up to 6 years of our lives doing them. And time is too precious to waste,” says a statement from van Elderen on the company’s website.
At Trustpilot, the company carries a score of 4.4 out of 5, with 75% of customers rating its home items and warranty service as “Excellent” at the time of publishing this article.
“Why not enrich your everyday routines, learn to love them? Take pleasure in doing the little things, let them lift you,” van Elderen’s statement continues. “Make your daily rituals your escape plan, a chance to relax, live in the moment, get connected or disconnected.”
His great-grandfather established the company by the name of Van Elderen & Co, making milk cans, jugs, sieves, and funnels for the domestic market with a team of 15 workers. For a while, it also made radio casings for the Dutch conglomerate Philips in the 1930s.
What Products Does Brabantia Make?
Though there are quite a few household items in its 500-product portfolio, such as ironing boards and soap dispensers, Brabantia is best-known for its sturdy and stylish pedal waste bins, which it first introduced in 1952.
Their price tags are not for the faint-hearted—that’s for sure—but, apart from their good looks and unrivaled functionality, the bins sport a 10-year warranty. If you come across defects in your products, Brabantia commits to fixing or replace them. Save the receipt during that period; it serves as your proof of purchase.
Other Brabantia signature products include its bread bins and food storage container, drying racks and ironing boards, as well as bathroom and toilet accessories.
Look reviews up reviews of these products online, and it’s not uncommon to see mentions of them lasting for decades without defects or problems. Another commonly recurring pattern that I saw as I was reading through reviews was the quality of their customer service.
“We have been overwhelmed by the service and quality of product supplied by Brabantia,” wrote Tony from Cape Town at Trustpilot. “These products have come a long way with us as a family, and we will continue to support the brand.”
For a company that produces waste bins and other house products containing steel and plastic, Brabantia bets big on sustainability. For example, its bin bags are 100% biodegradable. The bags are made of compostable material so that they can go straight on your compost pile.
According to a section of its website, Brabantia aims to make all of its products from 100% recycled materials by the year 2035. It also plans to expand its use of aluminum, bioplastics, wood from responsibly-managed forests, and good cotton.
Where Are Brabantia Products Made?
The short answer is that it depends on the product.
Brabantia owns three production facilities in Belgium, Latvia, and China, as well as an assembly and finishing plant in Great Britain. All of its products are made in-house in one of these sites.
Of its best-selling products, Brabantia’s iconic waste bins are typically made in Belgium, its ironing boards in Latvia, and kitchen utensils in China.
The company discloses the manufacturing location of each of its products on this website. So if you’re interested in a particular one, head on over, look it up, and refer to the “Specifications” tab to the right of the page.
In Conclusion
By all criteria, Brabantia is a good brand. It’s a family-owned business that makes high-quality products and provides customer service that you can count on.
Its products are on the pricier side, but you can usually find them at a bargain now and then online. If you live in Great Britain, you can also buy products on sale from its factory outlet.
