One Of The Best Pepper Mills You Can Buy Is Produced By A Car Manufacturer

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When most people hear "Peugeot," they think of cars, and rightfully so. The French company sold more than a million vehicles worldwide in 2023, even though it pulled out of the U.S. market decades ago. But long before Peugeot became known for its sleek automobiles, the company was manufacturing an entirely different kind of product for home and professional kitchens: pepper mills. Fortunately, those kitchen tools (with some unexpected uses)  are still knocking around online and in stores.

Peugeot's roots go back to 1810, and they had nothing to do with automobiles in the early years. Two brothers Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frederic Peugeot had bigger visions for the family's flour mill, transforming it into a steel foundry producing saw blades and household goods like spice mills and coffee grinders. That industrial heritage laid the groundwork for what is now considered one of the most respected pepper mills in the world, a niche it still solidly occupies today. 

Peugeot's first pepper mill, the "Z" model, was introduced in 1874 and remains in production more than 150 years later. Various renditions featured materials like white china, silver-plated metal, wood, and bakelite, some including manual hand cranks. Some pepper mills today retain that feature, including this modern-day beechwood pepper mill collaboration with chef Olivier Roellinger. Peugeot innovated on the internal grinding mechanism for cracking peppercorns before grinding , placing the brand in a realm of its own. The line grew exponentially, and today's Peugeot pepper mills appear in numerous configurations, styles, materials, and designs. 

Notably, the Peugeot pepper mills of today share a set of significant features with yesteryear's versions: They're still designed and crafted in France using high-quality materials, come with a lifetime guarantee mechanism, and still employ the same type of early "technology" that made them famous worldwide. The designs, however, have evolved after introducing popular models in the 1950s featuring stainless steel. 

Peugeot refined its pepper mill technology over decades, leading to a major upgrade in 2004. That's when it patented a user-friendly grind adjustment ring that enabled users to choose various coarseness levels with better control and precision. That feature is available now in most Peugeot models. Dedicated Peugeot pepper mill lines today include the Paris collection, which features the precision grind setting and is available in classic beechwood finishes, stainless steel, and even elegant graphite tones. 

The Bistro is a modern tribute to Peugeot's original 1874 model, offering compact charm and plenty of heritage touches. It's crafted from PEFC wood from French forests and comes in six different colors. For a sleeker, minimalist aesthetic, check out the Line serieswith aluminum bodies, and natural or carbon finishes. The company now sells dozens of pepper mill designs, many easy to find in the U.S., including this copper-toned Original Greek pepper mill on Amazon. For more highly functional kitchen tools, check out our article on 18 powerless kitchen appliances and gadgets or the best electric salt and pepper grinders.