If I asked you to guess what kind of product might earn itself the title of Oprah’s “favorite thing”, attract a waitlist of over 30,000 people, and find itself in the homes of everyone from David Beckham to Selena Gomez, I’d doubt a pan would be the first thing that comes to mind.
Of course, those well-acquainted with Our Place and its cult-favorited Always Pan know otherwise. The high-tech pan, which set out to reduce the number of pans cluttering most of our kitchens, not only received rave reviews from the get-go, but turned the start-up profitable just six months after launching.
“I immigrated to America to study at Stanford University and while I was here, far away from my family and culture, I started learning to cook as a way to connect with my culture,” says Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid. “I still remember walking into my first kitchenware store in America – I was overwhelmed by the amount of clutter – avocado slicers, cherry pitters, and 20-piece knife sets – so much stuff I didn’t need and didn’t have room for.”
At the time Shadid was running the Malala Fund (which helps girls in vulnerable communities access secondary education around the world), but couldn’t shake the idea of making a positive change in people’s homes, too.
The mission felt clear; build better products – multifunctional, design-forward, healthy and sustainable – and eliminate waste.
“Getting off the ground was hard — we bootstrapped for two years while we worked on the original design – but we had a great product and mission that was undeniable.”
The Always Pan surrounded by Our Place tableware
The Always Pan, when finished, nailed the brief; a versatile non-stick pan designed to replace multiple traditional cookware pieces. It could fry, boil, roast, saute, sear, bake, braise, steam, strain, and serve, boasting a modular lid, a built-in spatula rest, and a nesting steamer basket, all of which contribute to its multifunctionality.
Thermakind, Our Place’s proprietary ceramic coating, is also free from PFAS/PTFEs (Teflon) – the forever chemicals found in most nonstick coatings – making it best-performing “clean” nonstick coating on the market.
It may not be the thing that first sells people on the pans (that, subjectively, is its gorgeous range of modern colorways), but it’s incredibly important to Shahid.
“There’s a lot of brands with deceptive marketing practices that confuse people,” she says, “so I wish people knew that most nonstick pans, kitchen appliances, and many other products in the kitchen are still using chemicals that are harmful.”
And still, the technological advancements haven’t stopped there. Today marks the release of the Always Pan Pro; a revolutionary and virtually-indestructible pan that, for the first time in history, is constructed – but not coated – to be nonstick.
The new Our Place Always Pan Pro
“You know how a drop of water sits on top of a leaf? That’s caused by what’s known as the lotus effect – there are micro-structures on the leaf that are invisible to the naked eye and repel the water from sticking,” Shahid explains.
Inspired by this, Our Placed engineered their titanium with the same type of micro-structures; ones you can’t see, but are just the perfect size and solidity to let food release easily from the surface.
“Creating the NoCo® no-coating technology took us around the world, thousands of hours of work, and hundreds of rounds of samples. It’s the first nonstick with zero coating – you can throw it in the dishwasher, scrub it with metal, light it on fire—it’s so easy to use and made to last a lifetime,” says Shahid.
Admittedly, she adds, all of Our Place’s products come with their own manufacturing challenged. After being designed from scratch by their in-house team in Los Angeles, each product takes roughly two years to perfect.
“We’re obsessive about product design and have built the best team in the industry. That’s why we hold over 200 patents in less than five short years…and counting.”
Shahid with more Our Place products
The Our Place line has grown at an unparalleled pace. In addition to the best-selling Always Pan, the brand’s oven- and dishwasher-safe Perfect Pots, bakeware, tableware, kitchen tools, and more have attracted an enormous of Our Place faithfuls.
A lot of whom, to the designers’ credit, are “obsessed” with the brand’s unique colorways, including Blue Salt, Sage Green, Spice (a dusty pink), and Lavender.
“It was very important for us to bring joy and inspiration to the kitchen. That’s what beautiful design is – it inspires you!” she continues, “Before Our Place everything in the kitchen looked the same – black and stainless steel – and was hidden in the back of our cluttered cabinets.
“We got rid of clutter and everyone started to leave their cookware on the stove for everyone to see, and it made them want to cook more! We say our Always Pan is 10-in-1, but it’s really 11-in-1—enchantment is the eleventh function!”
Many of its core colors extend into Our Place’s appliances, too, including The Wonder Oven, Dream Cooker, and Splendor Blender.
“Just like our cookware, our appliances bring design and innovation to a tired category,” she says. “They are toxin-free, easy to use, space-saving, and multifunctional. And they are very beautiful, which means – unlike all the other appliances you hide in the back of your cabinet – you’ll leave them out on your countertop and use them way more!”
In addition to its sustainable and socially-responsible manufacturing process, Our Place is committed to sharing the rewards of its success, too. The brand’s Traditionware collections are designed in partnership with communities to honor multicultural traditions (the latest collection is for Eid, with 20% of profits donated to the Middle East Children’s Alliance), and the company has donated more than two million meals to hunger-fighting consortiums outside of these initiatives.
All of which, it seems, would be a personal dream come true for Shahid.
“The biggest lesson is to build something you believe in with your whole heart, as I do with Our Place,” says Shahid. “It will be one of the hardest things you ever do, so make sure you’re motivated by a mission much larger than yourself.”