- In 1842 the first Pepper Mill with its grinding mechanism was invented in France.
- Cole & Mason was founded in the City of London in 1919 by Julian Cowan and was a family run business. The company traded initially in gift wares, but over 20 years moved into general house wares.
- Cole & Mason produced their first wood mill in Park Green, Uxbridge in 1946.
- In 1955 David Cowan succeeded his father in the family
run business. - In 1975 David Cowan designed the worlds first acrylic pepper mill. The idea for the mill came when David was attending a dinner party at a friend’s house and noticed the round acrylic doorknobs, David thought they would make an attractive design for a mill and so the 505 Acrylic Mill was born and this has been the Best selling mill for over 35 years selling over 15 million.
- By 1980 we became the No. 1 global brand for Pepper and Salt Mills in the UK
- In 1987 the Peter Piper brand was bought to extend the range.
- In 1988 Cole & Mason were invited by The Walt Disney Company to take on a license to use Disney Characters on a range of Children’s melamine tableware products.
- In the 1990’s sales growth was impressive moving from a turnover of £8.9m in 1991 to £18.3m in 1995.
- In November 1995 David Cowan sold the business as a
result of the rapid growth of it and its need for a management restructure. The company was still called Cole & Mason
when sold. - 2001 saw the launch of the first electronic mill called ‘Manhattan’ which we still have today.
- In 2002 Cole & Mason was purchased
by William Levene - In 2006 DKB purchased William Levene. Diethelm Keller Brands AG (DKB) is a subsidiary of the Diethelm Keller Group - an internationally operating Swiss holding company, privately held and managed in the fourth generation.
- In 2010 Cole & Mason’s major business is now salt and pepper mills and there are now wooden, acrylic and stainless steel mills in the range. Cole & Mason are market leaders in the UK and export to over 60 Countries worldwide with marketing companies in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the USA. We develop and design all our quality mills in house in Farnborough, UK. All Cole & Mason mills are fitted with design registered mechanisms and have a
lifetime guarantee. - In 2011 wins the Excellence in Housewares Award for new Precision Mechanism.