From its base in the rural west of Denmark, Hornvarefabrikken has been making spoons, jewellery and other interior items with horn for over 200 years. Back in the early 1800s, a prisoner of war called Knud Høj started a small business making spoons from horn. He developed the craft with his friend, and over the generations, Hornvarefabrikken grew to become the manufacturer it is today. While times have changed, the workshop continues to focus on spoon crafting, preserving and reinterpreting the tradition in a contemporary context.

Spoons carved from horn are at the heart of Hornvarefabrikken. Horns from Watusi and Ankole cattle are sourced from Nigeria, as cattle within the EU are increasingly bred to have smaller horns or no horns at all. The raw materials are first selected for colour and quality, then cut with a band saw and roughly sanded before being heated in oil to 165°C. They are then clamped, shaped and trimmed before being sanded and polished to a high gloss finish. Hornvarefabrikken’s most popular piece is its horn caviar spoon.