Sustainability

Handcrafted cast iron tea kettles made to last a lifetime

Our JA-UNENDLICH brand makes sustainability and long-lasting quality literally tangible. How sustainable a product truly is depends primarily on its manufacturing process and its individual lifespan. Our cast iron quality products achieve both in an impressive way, merging them seamlessly into aesthetic and functional one-of-a-kind pieces. The result: timelessly beautiful designer products made to last forever.

Only what lasts long can truly be good.

More than 40 work steps are required to create a single designer piece. It is a traditional craft with a history spanning thousands of years, one that JA-UNENDLICH consciously embraces. This elaborate and multifaceted process also uncompromisingly meets JA-UNENDLICH’s high quality standards. Only in this way can individual design, perfect functionality, and sustainable production be brought into harmony.

The unmistakable design of JA-UNENDLICH cast iron tea kettles is created in Munich. From time to time, however, we also entrust the creative design to selected designers and artists whose imagination knows almost no limits. In this way, modern concepts are incorporated into the style-defining design language of our products alongside classic patterns of traditional Japanese tea kettles. The result is a unique blend of European habits and Asian tea tradition.

Sustainable manufacturing from a single cast

All JA-UNENDLICH cast iron kettles are traditionally made using sand molds, or more precisely the sand casting process. This is a manufacturing method in which metals and other materials are shaped using molds made of sand. For this, a moist sand mixture is pressed into a prepared imprint to create the later casting mold. At this stage, the actual foundation is already laid for the style in which the individual design of each tea kettle and drinking cup will take shape. Once decorated, liquid and extremely hot cast iron is poured into the finished mold.

So that the gases produced during this process can escape from the hollow spaces of the mold, the sand molds are equipped with corresponding vent channels and gating systems. These also make it easier to remove the finished products once the hot cast iron has cooled sufficiently. Afterwards, the sand is processed and reused to create a new casting mold. Alternatively, the existing sand mold can be used several times as a so-called permanent mold in order to produce individually designed one-of-a-kind pieces almost in series.

Refined, perfected tea enjoyment for life

The finished cast iron cannot yet be used in its original state. Any remaining sand residue must first be removed, as well as the sprues, feeders, gates, and casting burrs required for the casting process. Before each individual product is actually ready for use, these unique pieces must go through several production steps — from drilling and grinding to painting and powder coating, all the way to galvanic treatment of the iron material. The cast raw pieces must also be fired several times at high temperatures in the oven. This gives the cast iron its characteristic structure. Finally, the outer walls are individually colored by hand and the inside of the cast iron kettles is refined with a continuous porcelain enamel coating for protection. This not only enhances the material and ensures that it meets European standards, but also prevents rusting. With proper care, these designer pieces last a lifetime. Or to put it another way: sustainability in its purest form.