Skeppshult

Skeppshult – classic handmade cast iron products that never go out of style

In Småland’s forests, the cast iron burns all day long. Skeppshult cast iron is a love letter to the Swedish craft, and in Stockholm, you’ll find their flagship store in Östermalm.

Founded in 1906 in Småland (Swedish province), Skeppshult is today the only remaining foundry in Scandinavia that produces cast iron cookware products. The company has passed many generations and been kept alive by various grandchildren.

In a time when stress and mass production are standard, Skeppshult foundry stands firmly and delivers hand-casted and robust according to reliable ancient traditions. The focus is on genuine craftsmanship, care, and quality.

“Cast iron is only getting better over time,” Skeppshult’s store manager Viola Torneport says, and adds:

“The material has a natural stick surface, which means that every time you cook, the oils go down into the iron and rehydrate. I know that from my grandmother’s pancake pan, I don’t need butter or oil. Same thing when washing dishes. All you need is hot water and a brush.”

Cast iron also has health benefits. For example, when you cook, the material is absorbed into the food and enriches it with iron. A clear advantage as many suffer from iron deficiency today. Another advantage is that the cast iron keeps heat much longer. Thus, an excellent tool if you’re going to serve a piece of meat that needs to maintain a specific temperature.

“The only negative with cast iron is probably the weight,” says Viola. But she then concludes that cooking with the cast iron pan can be considered a workout – which is also an advantage.

Skeppshult defends the Swedish and genuine. All products are hand-casted in the foundry just as they used to do, with solid ovens that maintain high temperatures. They care about the environment by using electricity from wind and hydropower.

They also want to get away from mass production and use of chemicals. Since they are using only pure raw materials, Skeppshult’s cast iron is a nature-friendly and healthy alternative to today’s plastic-coated aluminum pans. And when the product is finished, it’s seasoned with only organic rapeseed oil from Österlen in Skåne.

Products that happen to become defective or substandard are sorted out and recycled in the next cast iron melt to become new products. And those cast irons with minor cosmetic defects are classified as second quality and sold in the factory shop in Skeppshult at reasonable prices.

The range consists of two main categories: cookware and interior decoration. We’re talking everything from pepper mills and ovenware to frying pans and candle holders. Everything in cast iron, of course. Some collections such as ‘Noir’ and ‘Iron’ are collaborations with external designers.

Skeppshult’s most popular collection is the walnut series – cast iron pans with solid walnut wood handles. Here it’s the traditional frying pan that wins the game—classic, convenient, and just as good for making sauces as frying pancakes. No wonder there’s a boom in the Skeppshults stores and webshop in December. Smålandic craft with centuries-long traditions is a favored Christmas gift among both young and old. Durable and handmade, what’s not to like?

If you’re around Småland, you can visit the factory and shop in Skeppshult. In Stockholm, the concept store is located on Sibyllegatan on Östermalm. You can also order products directly from their webshop.