Bertoldi

Bertoldi is a pipe maker founded in the town of Timbó, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. What brothers Idelfonso and Valmor Bertoldi started as a small workshop in 1984 has run for decades and is considered the most visible name in the country's pipe production. The brand operates under the Só Cachimbos Comercial umbrella; of the founding brothers, Idelfonso Bertoldi is recorded as the business's sole owner.

Founding and Early Years

When founded, the business carried the name Bertoldi & Bertoldi, and its output was exceedingly modest: an average of ten pipes a day, and in only a single model at that. This first model, called "Elite," is recorded only as a straight-shanked shape; it appears to have been an undecorated design close to the billiard family. At the end of the first year the brothers decided to add bent-shank models to the catalogue as well; this step required both hiring their first employee and serious work on production technique. The goal was clear: to bring domestic production up to a standard comparable with the imported pipes then entering the Brazilian market.