What's Melamine?

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Our melamine is BPA Free!
All our products are BPA Free!

What is Melamine?
Melamine is a type of plastic that cannot be melted and reshaped after it has been molded once. It is this special characteristic which makes melamine more expensive and more desirable for upscale plastic housewares.

Our melamine products are manufactured using labor intensive methods which improve their characteristics. First, our melamine material, which begins in a powdered form, is weighed by hand. Then it is inserted into a compression mold where it stays for approximately 2 minutes. When it is removed, all of the flash (extra material) must be filed off. The flash is waste, but an intended result of overfilling the mold in order to always get a perfect part. Then, each piece is hand-polished using a special compound which gives our product its clean, shiny, and smooth appearance.

Unfortunately, all melamine is not created equally. Some manufacturers use injection molding which requires a lesser grade of melamine that often shows flow marks. And automatic pelletizing of melamine saves time and money, but does not permit uniform hardening of each piece, thus making it more brittle and apt to break. We don't do this.

All materials we use have been approved by the FDA for food safety. This means that it is perfectly safe to use with food. This does not mean that it is food. Never eat your melamine!

We have been producing the highest quality melamine products for over 40 years. We take our time producing each piece and feel the extra effort is well worth it. Our products' original designs, elegant shapes, clean lines, heavy weight, durability and shine have pleased our customers year after year. When you buy from Gourmac, you can be certain that you are receiving the best!

History of Gourmac's Melamine Utensils & Bowls

Back in 1966 we designed 5 utensils to be made out of melamine. At that time, no one had made utensils from melamine. It was a completely novel idea! We at Hutzler created the beautiful designs and took out patents. In 1968, our 6-piece Melamine Serving Set (#3525 Ladle, #3526 12” Spoon, #3530 Fork, #3531 Turner, #3532 Slotted Spoon and Utensil Rack) won the 1968 Housewares Design Award. Since then, these items have exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (in NYC), Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a 2-year traveling exhibition under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute.

In the realm of bowls, we were awarded exclusive US distributorship of the now iconic melamine Mixing Bowls designed by Sigvard Bernadotte. These bowls were originally molded by Rosti in Denmark. In the late 1970’s, Rosti sold their business. We found superior molding techniques in Thailand and moved our production there, where it still remains.

The Hutzler® / Gourmac® melamine utensils, bowls and tabletop pieces have stood the test of time. In fact, if you look around, you may even find some of our original pieces (in those crazy outdated colors) still in use in homes all across the country. Have your own classic? Send us an email and tell us about it. And of course, we are continually introducing new styles and colors….the perfect combination of classic and modern.