The acquaintance of young children with the world usually begins with colored pencils, with which they try to convey their first impressions of the river, rainbow, sun, clouds and all the most vivid childhood sensations. Probably today there is hardly a person who has never seen boxes with colored or simple Faber-Castell pencils.
And if you talk with professional artists, they will tell you about coal, and about sanguine, and pastels, and about watercolor pencils of this, perhaps, the oldest company in the world for the production of writing and "drawing" tools. Daniel Bart, CEO of Faber-Castell, knows best about the history and geography of pencil boxes. He is pleased to share his knowledge with you, our dear readers.
Daniel, please tell us a little about the history of the Faber-Castell brand?
In 1761, Caspar Faber, a master carpenter who made cabinets, opened his production in the city of Stein, near Nuremberg. It was this carpentry workshop that became the first stone in the foundation of the modern Faber-Castell group of companies. But the first writing instruments appeared in these walls only in 1839. The German pencil industry flourished thanks to Lothar Faber, who was later made an adviser to the royal court. In this position, he was responsible for the presence in all world markets and the reputation of pencils in their current form and quality. Lothar not only came up with a hexagonal pencil, but also laid down the standards for its length, thickness and hardness, which we use to this day. He was also the first to start labeling his products with a company name. Therefore, “A.W. Faber” brand pencils became not only the first in the world, as they say now, branded writing instruments, but also one of the first registered trademarks. In 1849, Lothar opened his store in New York, thereby "exploding" the pencil market in America. Next are London, Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg ... For his achievements, Lothar von Faber was awarded the title of baron and family castle (Castle), which was built in 1840 in Bavaria. In 1903-1906, his descendants carried out a general reconstruction of the estate and completed another new castle called Castell, which was later attached to the brand name. The high bell tower - the symbol of the city of Stein, connects both castles located around the perimeter of a rectangular courtyard. Today Faber’s family nest is used for various cultural events, art exhibitions, business lunches and meetings.
When did Faber-Castell, which has nearly 250 years of history, start producing high-end writing instruments - fountain pens and ballpoint pens?
Our company keeps its unique historical traditions. There are probably few firms in the world that have been run by members of the same family for centuries. Faber-Castell rules the eighth generation of descendants of Lothar Faber. Traditions are traditions, but a modern company cannot stand still and is only proud of what has been done in the past. Therefore, in the twentieth century, Faber-Castell began to produce fountain and ballpoint pens, striving to be the best in its class.
Much better, pencils are pencils, pens are pens. What else can you come up with?
This is a common stereotype, but in fact, we, as manufacturers of pencils, for example, need to conduct a lot of research, because, in addition to the actual production, we still have a huge social responsibility. After all, making kits for children, we are obliged to think about such things as toxicity, concern for the environment and so on. I can proudly state that all Faber-Castell products have environmental and hygiene certificates. We can say with confidence that all Faber-Castell pencils and pens, as well as the entire range of our leather haberdashery supplies, are absolutely safe for people of any age.
It is known that the history of Faber-Castell is closely connected with Russia. What exactly is it about?
Firstly, about the best graphite for our pencils, which was mined in mines in Siberia in the 19th century. Secondly, about the first Faber company stores, opened at the same time in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Well, and, of course, about those cultural traditions that Russia is so famous for, and which Fabers could not ignore. And today, our brand is well known to all buyers in Russia who value real German quality.
Your pens today are presented in one of the best watch and jewelry boutiques in Dubai - Bin Hendi Watch & Jewelery in Dubai Mall. Does this mean that you position Faber-Castell writing instruments as elite and luxurious?
Yes. The collection of our luxurious and elite writing instruments appeared at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries in 1993. We gave it the name Graf von Faber-Castell. This is the full name of the Faber family, which further emphasizes the belonging of the new collection to aristocracy and selectivity. Creating the Graf von Faber-Castell collection, we decided to release something really unique, which no one had ever done before. We came up with the perfect pencil. What is it? This is a pencil in a “shirt” made of expensive wood, for example, California cedar, having an “eraser” on the top and a special silver cap with a clip for placement in a pocket, in which a sharpener is also hidden, which allows to grind the lead as needed. It is very convenient to use, and unlike pens, it does not flow in your pocket when traveling or flying. Especially for office use, we make gift sets with replaceable pencils and erasers, packed in luxurious wooden boxes with silver overlays, which can become an adornment of any desktop.
In addition, in the same collection, starting in 2001, we have released a special limited series of "pens of the year" dedicated to the traditions of a particular country, in a case made of material appropriate to the spirit of that country. For example, this year, in connection with our entry to the Middle East market, we released this pen in a case made of specially woven hard horsehair, remembering the traditional love of Arabs for purebred horses. This is a unique technology; only one workshop in Germany works with it. Moreover, at the request of the buyer, we can "weave" his name into the material that is used to design the body of his personal pen.
In 2004, the case of our “pen of the year” was made of natural amber collected on the Baltic coast, and the pen itself was made in St. Petersburg. Among the materials for the “pen of the year” were genuine leather, mother of pearl, ebonite, and ivory. The rarity of all these materials and the limited nature of each series have made our "pens of the year" the object of desire of all collectors in the world. Some of them can cost up to 25 thousand dirhams. Therefore, yes, today we can talk about the elitism and luxury of our writing instruments, in addition to which we produce no less luxurious folders, business card holders, genuine leather wallets. They are enjoyed by businessmen from all over the world.
What is ahead?
In 2011, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the company. Already, we have begun preparations for this date. The company plans to release special collections, which are too early to talk about. But, I can say one thing for sure, with the help of our pencils, the best artists of the world will create even a single masterpiece, and the most important agreements and declarations in human history will be signed with Faber-Castell pens. This is important, for more than two centuries the history of Faber-Castell stands, reliably protected by the walls of the family castle of Barons Von Faber.
