On 11 November, we welcomed a special guest to our factory: Philip Hitschler-Becker, managing director of the long-established confectionery company hitschler – better known to many as hitschies.
![[Translate to English:] Thonet, Philip Hitschler, hitschies](/assets/img/ph/ph-150x84.svg "[Translate to English:]")
During his visit, he gained exclusive insights into our production, lent a hand himself and took his social media community behind the scenes at Thonet.
When tradition connects
The visit was no coincidence. Philip Hitschler-Becker himself owns Thonet cantilever chairs – pieces of furniture with history. ‘My grandfather used to sit on this chair, and now I sit on it,’ he says. When it was time to have the chairs repaired by our repair service, the idea arose to combine the occasion with a look behind the scenes.
At the heart of craftsmanship
No sooner said than done: during the production tour, Philip was able to get hands-on in three key departments. Bending bentwood required real muscle power, while hammering in the cane required dexterity. Finally, hand painting and staining required the right balance – a delicate interplay of experience, precision and understanding of materials.
It quickly became clear how much craftsmanship, time and passion goes into every single piece of Thonet furniture.
Design, present and history
After the production tour, the group visited our showroom, which presents the current Thonet collection for residential and contract areas. The tour concluded with a visit to the adjacent Thonet Museum, where Norbert Ruf guided the group through more than 200 years of company history.
Philip was thrilled: ‘It was a super exciting day with fascinating conversations, great people and lots of enthusiasm for what happens when tradition meets craftsmanship. Thank you very much!’
A visit that once again showed how genuine values, durable design and living tradition can bring people together.
