David Reiss had been on the look out for a unique line that would complement the first-rate quality and old-world artistry of Match, the luxe pewter company he founded 13 years ago which has brought high-end, handcrafted Italian pewter to the nation’s independent retailers. “Everything I looked at in the past just wasn’t special enough,” Reiss begins. “I was looking for another hand-made Italian line because I strongly believe in the brand ‘Made in Italy’, and I felt that customers looking for the best hand-made Italian products weren’t being well served.” Now Match’s 1,500-strong retail base is being introduced to Coltellerie Berti (hereafter known by the anglicized Berti Cutlery), that long sought-after line which perfectly adhered to Reiss’ rigorous requirements. “Tradition and history are important to me and my accounts,” Reiss proffers. “Berti is made totally by hand by a handful of artisans using production methods that are centuries old. This kind of craft is fast disappearing so I’m really happy to have found this fabulous company that has a fabulous story to tell.”

It’s a tale that began more than a century ago in 1895 when David Berti opened a small shop in Scarperia – 25 miles north of Florence in the Tuscan countryside – a region well-known for its cutlery production. Berti’s business specialized in knives used to cut cigars, Tuscan cigars in particular. (Knives at the turn of the last century had myriad uses beyond food preparation and dining; they were chiefly used for protection and work and thus required a variety of handles and blades depending on the knife’s use.) David Berti established the technique which would be faithfully followed by his son Severino, grandson Alvaro, and great-grandson Andrea: there would be no division of labor; each knife would be made by a single artisan who followed the piece from start to finish at which point his initials would be branded onto the blade, much like an artist’s signature on a canvas. This profound dedication to an age-old craft inspired the company’s mantra: A Berti knife is a heirloom.

In addition to following the same production techniques since 1895, the business has used the same materials as well: ox horn, buffalo horn, bone, boxwood, and steel. “We’ve been able to maintain production of our knives as it has always been,” says Andrea Berti, president. “We make knives with integrity and authenticity which you can’t get from industrialized production.” Berti’s family pride is palpable and he feels a great responsibility preserving the business his forefathers have entrusted to him. “We can’t live without traditions,” Berti affirms. “We make a product in the same place with the same almost religious observance of the craftsman art handed down from father to son for more than 100 years.” In tumultuous, quickly-changing times, he adds, it’s comforting and assuring to have “some tangible point of reference to the past, something authentic that hasn’t changed and will not change in time.”

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