Oneida Flatware

Oneida is one of the world’s largest suppliers of flatware and the leader in furnishing dinnerware to the food service industry in North America. The company has been able to enjoy such popularity due to its longstanding reputation for quality and craftsmanship.

Oneida enjoys a rich legacy and fascinating history that dates back to its founding in the mid-19th century in Sherrill, New York. Founder John Humphrey Noyes established Oneida a year before the turn of the 20th century in 1899. It was one of the earliest joint- stock companies at the time in the U.S.

Over the course of the next one hundred and fifty years, Oneida would become one of the nation’s most desired manufacturers of silver-plated flatware and other dinnerware. In the '60s, Oneida introduced a series of stainless steel flatware which would rapidly dominate sales of the silver-plated varieties. In the '90s, Oneida held the distinction of being the only remaining U.S. manufacturer of flatware.

Quick Facts

• Oneida's founder John Humphrey Noyes was also the founder of a Eutopian community known as The Oneida Community
• During World War I, Oneida produced combat knives, surgical instruments, and other items for the U.S. Army to compensate for lagging sales
• In the early part of the 20th century, Oneida manufactured traps and silk, but phased these products out to focus on their flatware and dinnerware