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Cooking with soul: How Victoria became Colombia’s cast iron icon
A story forged in family
What began with toy soldiers and crucifixes, cast at home in a local garage, has grown into a global brand, with skillets, Dutch ovens and tortilla presses now found in homes and kitchens all over the world. But for Victoria, the story isn’t just about expansion - it’s about passion, purpose, and preserving a legacy.
“My grandfather was kicked out of Catholic school,” Manuel says with a smile. “Every day on the way to high school, he’d pass a foundry. He was fascinated by the molten metal, so he stopped going to school and started working at the foundry as an apprentice instead. A year later someone lent him a garage where he used the skills he had acquired to start out on his own. He used the capital he made here to scale the business and that’s how everything started” explains Manuel.
It was this bold decision that set the tone for Victoria. What followed were decades of innovation and reinvention. In the 1950s, Raúl supplied spare parts for Medellín’s booming textile industry. Later when imported parts replaced the need for local manufacturing, the company shifted again, this time perfecting the design for a corn grinder that is used to make arepas and tortillas across Latin America. It was at this moment that the brand Victoria, as we know it today, was born.
The name? “It comes from Queen Victoria,” Manuel explains. “Legend has it she donated grinders to Latin countries, so they did not have to smash the corn by hand.”
Reinventing cast iron for the modern kitchen
In the early 2000s, Manuel joined the family business, bringing with him a background in design engineering and a love for barbecue. He quickly saw an opportunity to improve the ergonomics, functionality and finish of the traditional cast iron pans.
“I used one of our skillets and found the handle short and uncomfortable. Cast iron is heavy and therefore it should be ergonomic.” So Manuel and his team set about redesigning everything from the grip to the pour spouts, even integrating oil traps that prevent messy drips. “Our finish is softer too, which helps seasoning build up faster - it’s not just aesthetic, it’s functional” he tells us.
Victoria now offers both seasoned and enamel cast iron cookware, catering to different types of cooks. The enamel range has proven particularly popular in markets where customers are less familiar with the care cast iron requires. “It’s rust-resistant, practical and affordable and you are still able to season the pan in exactly the same way as a regular cast iron product. There’s nothing else quite like it on the market at this price point.”
From Medellín to the world
Despite their success, the journey hasn’t been easy. The brand faced fierce competition from low-cost manufacturers, and perhaps more difficult still, the stigma attached to being a Colombian company.
“When people hear ‘Colombia’, they often think of what they’ve seen on Netflix, there are a lot of negative connotations involved,” Manuel says candidly. “We had to call people personally, tell them our story, make them feel comfortable. It was hard work.”
But perseverance paid off. A breakthrough came when major US retailers and media began to take notice. Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and even the Wall Street Journal all praised Victoria’s pans. Since then, the company has expanded across Europe, including into Sweden, the UK, Germany and Denmark.
“We can’t compete with the low-cost manufacturers on price,” says Manuel. “But we will always be able to compete when it comes quality and soul. We have a story to tell, and I believe this is truly the reason we’re still alive and growing.”
Health, sustainability and heritage
More than just cookware, Victoria’s mission is to promote healthier kitchens. Cast iron is naturally non-toxic, unlike many non-stick pans that contain PFAS and other chemicals.
“In recent years there has been a growing awareness about what goes into our cookware,” Manuel says. “Especially during the pandemic, people had very little to do other than watch movies, exercise and cook. The public had time to investigate this type of thing, so they started reading labels and asking questions. At Victoria we truly believe part of our mission is to change kitchens and make them healthier” Manuel explains emphatically.
Victoria’s commitment to health goes hand in hand with its environmental values. All their cast iron is made from recycled steel waste, all produced and sourced right at home in Colombia, and over 90% of the energy used in production comes from hydroelectric power. “It’s a circular economy and we’re incredibly proud of that,” Manuel adds.
While Victoria continues to evolve, its heart remains in Medellín. “Everything is manufactured here. We want to stay true to our roots. Even as we adapt to new markets, we always try to include some of our Colombian DNA in all our content, our packaging and products.”
A brand with a cast iron heart and plenty of soul
Today, Victoria is more than a cookware company. It’s a story of generational resilience, cultural pride, and a belief that the tools we use to cook should matter and be built to last.
Manuel sums it up best: “What makes Victoria special is the soul behind it. We’re still here because we care deeply about what we make, how we make it and the people we make it for.”
And his favourite dish? “Barbecue, always. Every weekend. I’ve loved it since I was a kid. Now I get to cook with tools we designed ourselves and that is pretty special.”
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