Fornace Fonti s.r.l. is the oldest kiln of the region, the company in fact dates back to the 19th Century. The earliest document found ( a purchase invoice) dates back to 1873 ( it is presumed that the company was set up a year or two before).
The company was founded by Giuseppe Giacomo Fonti, a Swiss schoolmaster, who after having visited several countries decided to settle in Italy at... mainly because the raw materials such as sand, clay and water were and are still abundant and of optimal quality.
From that moment onwards, despite several events ( wars and floods) the kiln has never stopped its activity, undertaking both industrial production as well as the antique art of handmade bricks, kilned as today in the original Hoffmann oven of 1873.
The Fonti kiln, situated in Grignano, was not the only one built - in 1900 another kiln was founded in the Ferrari area in Ruina by the son Alfredo Felice Fonti.This kiln was sold in 1922 but remained active for 70 years.
On the death of Giuseppe Giacomo in 1923, the company passed to his son Alfredo Felice Fonti who,however, died prematurely in 1925
leaving the administration in his wifeâs hands until 1939, in which year it was passed on to his son Giuseppe Girolamo Napoleone Fonti. He continued to run it until the early 1990s together with two of his four children: Francesco and Michele, who later took over the company.
Luca Fonti has recently joined the company.
