Berkel, Italy.

Wilhelmus Adrianus van Berkel is the founder of the legendary Berkel brand. A butcher by trade, he was drawn to mechanics from a young age and in 1898 developed a meat cutting machine, known as the Berkel Model A, which became the prototype for the legendary Berkel slicers. That same year, Berkel purchased a bankrupt printing house in Rotterdam and used its premises to create a workshop for producing meat slicers of his own design. On October 12, 1898, the company "Van Berkel's Patent" was registered. Within the first year of operation, 76 standard Berkel Model A slicers, three Berkel Model B models, and five special, improved Berkel Model C models had emerged from the workshop. Ten years later, Berkel products were in demand in England, Belgium, France, China, Russia, Mexico, and Canada. In 1909, production of meat slicers was launched in the United States.