The history of Tefal began in 1954, when French engineer Marc Gregoire invented non-stick coating for frying pans. More precisely, he originally intended to come up with a special coating for the sliding system of his spinning wheel, which was constantly jamming. Having successfully used the PTFE polymer to improve the spinning rod, he told his wife about it, who came up with a new application for this substance. Namely, to use it as a non-stick coating for kitchen utensils.
The first frying pan with such a coating was produced in 1954, but Tefal itself was founded two years later (1956) in the small French town of Sarcelles. At that time, Tefal was naturally the only manufacturer of non-stick cookware in the world. Such cookware quickly won the love of housewives, and in 1958, the volume of sales of pans reached the mark of one million pieces annually.
In 1961, the company produced about 12 million pans and began exporting them to the United States, accompanied by an active advertising campaign. By 1968, Tefal had become the largest cookware manufacturer in France.