Lead times
Nothing here sits in a warehouse waiting for you. It is made after you order it, by hand, in Normandy.
If you have shopped elsewhere you will be used to “in stock” meaning a pallet in a distribution centre. Mauviel does not work that way and neither do we. A copper sauté pan is formed, planished, bonded, polished and fitted with a cast handle by people in a workshop in Villedieu-les-Poêles. Turbot kettles and braisières are made entirely by hand, one at a time.
So when a product page says the piece is made to order, that is not a stock problem. It is how the object exists.
What actually happens after you order
- 1Same dayWe confirm your order and check the piece against the current production run in Normandy. If anything has changed — a size withdrawn, a handle substituted — you hear from us before we take it further.
- 2Week 1Your order joins the manufacture’s schedule. Pieces already in the current run ship sooner; hand-formed pieces are made to order in sequence.
- 3Weeks 3–6Made, inspected and packed in Normandy, then consolidated for airfreight to Johannesburg. We tell you when it leaves France.
- 4Weeks 6–8Cleared, checked by us in Lanseria, and couriered to you anywhere in South Africa. Care instructions in the box.
Typical lead times
| What you have ordered | Expect |
|---|---|
| Stainless collections — M’Cook, M’Cook B, M’Elite | 4–6 weeks |
| Copper open stock — M’150, M’200, M’6 S | 6–8 weeks |
| Sets and batteries | 6–8 weeks |
| M’Tradition hand-formed pieces — fish kettles, braising pans | 8–12 weeks |
| Care products, lids, tools | Often held locally — ask and we will check |
These are honest ranges, not marketing ones. If a piece is going to take longer we tell you before you pay, not after.
Why we would rather do it this way
Holding deep stock of a 271-piece range would mean carrying the sizes and finishes that sell fastest and quietly dropping the rest. That is how a distributor ends up offering four saucepans and calling it a collection.
Ordering from the manufacture means you can have the 45 cm stew pan, the 50 × 40 cm turbot kettle, the M’200 sixteen-piece batterie — the pieces that make Mauviel worth buying, rather than only the ones that turn over quickly.
In a hurry?
Tell us the date. We hold some fast-moving lines locally and we can sometimes pull a piece from a consolidation already in transit. If we cannot make your date we will say so rather than let you find out in week seven.
For weddings, restaurant openings and gifts with a fixed date, order eight weeks out and we will confirm the date in writing.
Trade and professional orders
Restaurants, hotels and lodges are quoted separately, shipped by sea for volume where the timeline allows, and scheduled against your opening date. The Culinary Equipment Co has fitted commercial kitchens across Southern Africa for years — talk to us before you specify, not after.
Every piece is made by Mauviel1830 in Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy, a manufacture recognised by the French state as an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant. The Culinary Equipment Co, Lanseria, is the appointed distributor for South Africa.