Charles Canon Table Knives

Behind Charles Canon are Pascal Charles and Aurélien Canon, two enthusiasts of cutlery and the heritage of the Hauts-de-France region. In 2018, they took over Dutilleul, a company specialising in the manufacture of electrical sockets, where they were employed.

Dutilleul counts major international electrical equipment groups among its clients; it also manufactures wooden knife boxes for Laguiole cutlery makers.

Drawing on their expertise in precision wood machining, Pascal and Aurélien decided to create a regional knife embodying the history and know-how of the Hauts-de-France. This is how the Charles Canon brand came into being. For Pascal and Aurélien, working with coal was an obvious choice: it is the emblematic material of northern France, having fuelled and warmed its inhabitants for generations. The two men have a family connection to coal: one’s father and grandfather were miners, while the other comes from a family of coal merchants from Lallaing.

The location of their workshop also inspires them: it is situated on a former spoil heap, an artificial hill formed by the accumulation of mining waste, bearing witness to past mining activity.

Creating a knife handle from coal presents a challenge: this material is delicate to work with because it is brittle and soils the hands. After numerous tests and experiments, Pascal and Aurélien developed their manufacturing method. Lacking the necessary skills to embark on knife-making, they trained with their client Laguiole, in Aubrac, and designed a blade inspired by the shape of the flat spoil heaps of the Hauts-de-France. Drawing on this new expertise, they launched the Charles Canon knife range just a few days before the first lockdown of 2020.

In response to the success of its knives, the brand quickly expanded its range to other materials reflecting the regional identity.

Today, the Charles Canon team has 16 employees, including 3 cutlers and one person responsible for quality control and packaging. Their products are very successful, and the brand aims to expand its distributor network and continue its development in France and internationally.