ICEL was founded in the 1940s by three brothers in a family workshop where steel was forged and cutlery for agriculture and the kitchen was produced.
This workshop was located in Ribafria, a small village near Benedita. Initially, the range of products consisted of pocket knives and some knives, all made entirely by hand. The steel used was carbon steel, which was forged and tempered using rudimentary equipment, and the energy used came from coal. The handles were made from animal bones and horns. As production increased, distribution ceased to be local and became regional, and the products began to be sold in shops and markets throughout the country, mostly transported by rail.
In 1945, the small workshop already employed 25 people, and the decision was made to set up a company called Indústria de Cutelarias da Estremadura, Lda., from which the first ICEL brand would be born.
