Our Suppliers: A Focus on Arc International
International glass pioneers Arc International continue to go from strength to strength, constantly changing the industry landscape with new designs and techniques to improve their products which are adored by consumers and professionals alike.
This month we take a long look at Arc and the new range of their products which we are constantly adding to at drinkstuff.com.
Arc International have a rich history, dating back to 1825 when the company was founded in northern France and owes its continued success to the Durrand family who acquired the company in 1916 and introduced several pioneering techniques including the mass-production of stemmed crystal glasses, opal and decorative glassware and the creation of super-tough Kwarx® glass. Arc International has grown to include several brands including bar and catering favourites Arcoroc and the world famous Pyrex brand and employs 11,841 people throughout the world across 6 continents.
Created in 1958; Arcoroc Professional is an arm of Arc International which specialises in durable designer products for the hospitality trade, not only for bars but also quality glassware and tableware for catering use too. Arcoroc produce a wide range include the super-tough Princesa Glassware, Granity Tumblers as well as our newly featured Malea glasses.
Arcoroc are also responsible for changing the design of the modern pint glass with the creation of the Ultimate Pint Glass , a uniquely-tempered smash-resistant glass which can withstand a large amount of force before breaking, and should it ever break it simply disintegrates into harmless chips like a car window would, reducing the opportunity for the glass to be used as a weapon.
A relatively new division of Arc International created in 1997, the Chef & Sommelier range specialises in high-end glassware, cutlery and crockery for the Hotel and Restaurant sector. The Chef and Sommelier range includes the popular Cabernet series of wine glasses, the newly featured Oenologue Expert range and the Open Up line of specialist wine and tasting glasses which are popular with Sommeliers across the world.
With an eye firmly on the future, Arc will continue to dominate the tableware and glassware industry for years to come as they continue to expand into growing markets. Look out for more ranges from Arc as we continue to add to our lines here at drinkstuff.com.
Are You Ready for Christmas?
I must admit, Christmas this year has crept up on me. The previous year’s promises of getting ready early this time have truly flown out of the window (this happens every year though). “It barely seems as if Halloween was yesterday, Christmas is ages away yet” but these honeyed words to myself are only my pathetic attempt at brushing the onrushing Christmas festivities under the carpet. Christmas is nearer than I think, less than 4 weeks away in fact, am I prepared? Am I hell!
Thankfully the saving grace in this day and age is the internet. Gifts can be researched and purchased in a matter of minutes and delivered within a few days and if you shop wisely, you can save yourself a lot of money and drinkstuff.com is a perfect example, a treasure trove of gifts from the quirky to the reassuringly useful. It makes a much less stressful (and let’s face it; warmer) alternative to the dreaded Supermarket, the veritable 24 hour bazaar of last minute treats filled with frantic shoppers and stressed-out mums in full-on festive frenzy mode. Besides I doubt Mum would be happy to unwrap a box of Mr Kiplings and a bag of onions on the big day.
Of course, there’s the other preparation, Christmas logistics. Where are you going for your festive fayre? Who’s coming over? Will Aunty Sue and her special dietary requirements or your Cousin David and his rag-tag feral children throw all your carefully laid plans to ruin? Probably; but at least you can be prepared in other areas to make the passing of Christmas day easier.
Getting the perfect Christmas table
By this I don’t mean going off to a branded furniture superstore and shelling out on some flat-packed coated chip-board (although if you don’t have a table you might want to consider it), I am of course talking about setting up and decorating your festive dining table.
Obviously good quality tableware is a good place to start and with a bewildering choice of patterns, shapes and styles to choose from it’s hard to settle on something for such a big occasion. To help; drinkstuff.com offer a wide selection of tableware ideas from crockery and creative tableware ranges which will hopefully give you some inspiration.
Matching ranges create a harmonious and eye-catching display without the clashing of mismatched patterns and shapes (unless that was the look you were going for? After all: “Vintage” is all the rage these days), personally as a former chef all my crockery is white, that way the food does all the work without competing against the plate for attention and there’s no chance of having mismatched crockery as everything’s the same colour, but then I am playing it a little too safe, some patterned crockery works very well depending on how you present your food.
If you're looking to jazz up your table, little touches like Napkins, Napkin Rings, Place Mats, Glassware and quality Cutlery make the difference between an average table and an amazing table. There are truckloads of Christmas centrepiece ideas online from the austere to the magnificent. I’ve compiled a selection of the best and most inspiring ideas here.
Raise your glass
I briefly mentioned Glassware earlier, I can’t reiterate enough that quality glassware makes all the difference, as well as having the right glass for the drink. Countless times have I raided the cupboard for glasses for a toast, resulting in the moment being soured as guests cheer with Champagne cantered in a “Keep Calm and Drink Tea” mug, not a scenario I’d want to repeat! Especially on Christmas Day!
If you're looking for Glassware, drinkstuff.com is most certainly your friend. There’s an astounding range of glasses in all shapes, sizes and colours to suit any occasion and budget from Champagne Flutes, Wine Glasses, Tumblers, Hiballs and more. For Christmas there are beautiful hand crafted ranges from LSA, especially their Moya, Polka and Bar lines which include some wonderful boxed glassware items that really are something special, even worthy of being gifts themselves.
Also take a peek at restaurant favourites; Durobor who produce a wide range of sturdy glassware in various shapes and sizes with some very contemporary lines available including their top selling Alternato and Cancun glasses. Don’t miss other wonderful ranges from Libbey, Arcoroc and Artis to name but a few, who offer some amazing quality glassware. Have a browse through the full selection of glassware lines here for some inspiration.
When it comes to Christmas drinks, your creativity is your only limit. Whether it’s a simple glass of Champagne, a round of festive cocktails or some speciality hot mochas, there’s plenty of ideas compiled online here.
So with the advanced preparation and general online procrastination all done you can now relax. The heat has been taken off you with the Christmas prep. Of course there’s still the food shop and the organising to do, but that’s the easy bit!
