Production & Origin

Provenance

Thank you for your interest in our products. We are glad to hear of your interest in how our products are made. We provide background information on our products below:

Production and provenance

We are often asked whether our Dutch-style products are actually manufactured in the Netherlands.

We manufacture products in a variety of countries worldwide. Many products are manufactured in Europe. For example, our conditioner, firelighter cubes and firelighter wood wool. But we also manufacture products outside Europe. For example, our highest quality charcoal and briquettes are produced in South Africa.

Most of our cast-iron and metal products are manufactured at factories in China. Our local associates and partners make sure the production process at the selected factories meets our standards and quality requirements. The factories are BSCI participants, meaning they meet high working and operational standards for their employees and are subject to regular (basic) audits by independent authorities.  

Genuine Dutch products

Or in Dutch, “Echt Nederlands”. Our website includes a quote on being Dutch. The very first The Windmill product developed was a Dutch oven. The name of the product is no coincidence. Our Dutch ancestors introduced this type of pan to the United States.

A Dutch oven is the classic pan used to cook on an open fire: a large cast-iron pan on with three built-in legs or pedestals to stand it on the coals. Dutch ovens have been used since the 17th century, and have proven to be a classic and essential item when cooking outdoors. The name probably originated with the Dutch traders who sold the pans door-to-door. Dutch colonists in the United States often used a ‘Dutch oven’. The pans soon became popular locally, for how easy they made cooking tasty food even under primitive conditions.

The principle of the Dutch oven originated in the Netherlands and The Windmill decided it was time to cast the pan in a Dutch mould once again. A typically Dutch, robust product range of indestructible cast-iron cookware. Many other products were added, all based on the Dutch oven design, resulting in the current The Windmill Genuine Dutch Cast Iron range.

Designed in Holland

We understand it may be confusing that our products indicate their ‘Designed in Holland’ status rather than the usual ‘Made in Holland’. There is a difference. ‘Designed’ refers to the origin of the Dutch oven, to which we have added our own Dutch design ideas, improvements and developments. We believe that we have developed the best cast-iron outdoor cooking pans with all the advantages of the original Dutch oven. 

We hope you will enjoy using our high-quality pans.