History
A tradition dating back more than a century
In 1828, the first cutler settles in Laguiole to do his job and make a living. This is the first time that the profession of cutler has appeared in this region. It is also at this time that the first folding knife was made.
At this time the folding knife produced in Laguiole is the plain Laguiole knife, it is a knife with a centered tip bourbonnaise blade, a fly without decoration and spring with detent.
Between 1850 and 1860, the current shape of the Laguiole knife became more and more refined.
From 1880, the first 3-piece knives were manufactured. They are composed of a corkscrew and an awl. The corkscrew is linked to the request of the people from Aveyron who left the department to conquer the Parisian coffees. For the awl, it was used in the agricultural sector mainly to pierce the rumen of animals.
In 1909, first bee appears on a Laguiole knife. Its presence on the knives is, according to legend, a tribute to the courage of the inhabitants of Laguiole by Emperor Napoleon himself.
The first world war (1914-1918) led to the disappearance of part of the workforce in Laguiole.
Only three craftsmen will continue to produce a very small quantity of Laguiole knives.
In 1985, a team from the Aubrac plateau, including the mayor of Laguiole, organized the relaunch of the manufacture of the Laguiole knife in its birthplace. It was the birth of Forge de Laguiole® that made this dream come true in 1987.