Business Spotlight on Certine by Michelle Libby

When it comes to flatware no one has thought and dreamed more about it than the owners and creators of Certine. With a unique design and thought toward allowing the true taste of food to shine through, co-owners David Muise, Rachel Rodrigues and Bill Todd, have created a ceramic fork, knife and spoon that not only enhance the taste of food, but enhance the table as well. 
 

When Todd invited Muise to lunch one day, he explained, “We’ve been eating wrong.” Throughout history silverware has been a sign of wealth and prosperity, rather than a way to get food to the mouth. Half of the world doesn’t use metal when they eat, said Muise. With hours of research, the three of them determined that making flatware out of ceramic would be a good idea for many reasons. 

“Certine is a sustainable dematerialization that uses less material from the earth and has more function,” said Muise. The three pieces are made from ceramic, but have a different structure than china or pottery making it stronger and more durable. 

The Certine flatware is non-abrasive, has a diamond shine and is one of the hardest surfaces on earth. They use an advanced tetragonal, a five sided crystal structure to make it stronger.  The utensils can be broken if used inappropriately, to pry a lid or cut through hard cheese. These are made for the eating experience exclusively. 

“Almost everything made these days is ergonomic. Silverware is one of the only things with flat handles,” Muise pointed out. Certine products are ergonomic and light because they are made with ceramic. 

“We realized that ceramic is inert and will not react with bases or acids,” said Muise. People will not get the “galvanic effect” where there is a sharp taste of metal when acidic food reacts with metal fillings in the mouth or a stainless utensil causing a type of electric shock. 

Each piece was created with the needs of the user in mind. The fork is scalloped so that the tines can fit into the edge of a salad bowl to get the last morsel. The head is wider and with the proper fulcrum and the side of the fork can be used to cut things. The name Certine came from the quest to make a fork that had tines that wouldn’t break. 

The spoon can hold 10 mL of liquid. It is tapered to make it easier to go into the mouth. It looks like a spade, Muise said. The deeper volume makes each spoonful a mouthful. 

“They perfected the knife 3,000 years ago. Our knife is much sharper than normal knives,” said Muise. The knife can be used to slice butter or cut steak. 

Five piece silverware sets are a “misuse of materials,” said Muise. It’s based on meaningless traditions and the 100,000 pounds of smog made from the production of stainless steel makes the process environmentally unfriendly, he added.  

Metal silverware gets tiny, micro abrasions that collect bacteria and particles that can affect children, the elderly and those who are immune compromised. 

Although the products have only been on the market for a year, the owners have been working on the perfect set for four years. Through much research, they found that the flatware had great potential in the healthcare industry, said Muise. The way the product is made helps with dysgeusia, where everything tastes like metal. 

This helps people undergoing chemotherapy, who are the ones most affected, to taste and enjoy their food, said Muise. 

People with arthritis have a difficult time holding heavy metal instruments that can tend to be hot or cold. Certine products don’t get hot sitting in soup or coffee. 

“It turns out people were already looking for us,” he said. Sets of Certine flatware are available in specialty kitchen stores in Maine, New York City, New Orleans, Connecticut and online including Amazon. The sets will now be sold in groupings of four. 

There is a guarantee that under normal use, washing in the dishwasher and regular wear and tear, it will not break. There will also be new products available like a chef’s-tasting-spoon and something new for the holiday season. 

Certine was chosen for season three of Greenlight Maine on NBC. Filming will begin in two weeks.

For more information on the company, visit www.Certine.com, email info@certine.com or find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. See the product locally at Mills and Company in the Don Rich Plaza off Route 302.