Joseph Opinel began making knives in 1890 in Savoie, France as a simple working man's or peasant's knife.Musée de l'Opinel: Bienvenue , retrieved 5 July 2011Opinel, Savoie's Famous Knife, Serveur SavoieL'Opinel, une fine lame toujours à l'affût, Rhône-Alpes, April 2006, retrieved 15 May 2022 It proved popular with the local farmers, herdsmen, and paysans-vignerons (peasant winemakers) of the area.Musée de l'Opinel: Bienvenue, retrieved 5 July 2011Opinel, Savoie's Famous Knife, Serveur Savoie In 1897, a series of twelve sizes, numbered 1 to 12, was developed.Opinel History , Opinel USA, retrieved 4 July 2011 From 1901 to 1903, Joseph Opinel built his first factory in Pont de Gévoudaz and produced a machine for mass production of the knife's wooden handles.
