Tognato Blankets, a 100 year old Sao Paulo tradition

This is a great segway from the last post, talking about the record cold temperatures this past week in Brazil.
My family has always enjoyed the cold Sao Paulo winters with the super comfy heavy Tognato blankets for several decades now.
And before I say more, this company lives in my heart, for very special reasons, first and foremost, it's one of my family's stronger traditions. We all have had our Tognato's blankets since we were children.
I brought all 3 Tognato's blankets I owe, and they are my strongest and dearest connections to my homeland.
Talk about homeland, the Tognato family has lived and operated their factory in my home town, just ouside Sao Paulo Brazil for over 100 years now.
Our home town is SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Sao Paulo, and if you ever drove to the beach or ever drove in front of Brazil's largest factory, Volkswagen, at Via Anchieta Highway, you have driven past my city.

Tognato's super comfortable and warm heavy blankets

I got my first Tognato blanket (twin) when I was 3 years old. I still have that blanket in Rhode Island and use it as a blanket to watch TV when I am in the sofa at our den.
When I was a teenager, my parents gave me a larger Tognato (Queen size) blanket and when I bought a house with Gil, back in 2003, my brother and his wife gave us a King sized Tognato blanket, and yes, they are all here in Rhode Island with us.

Tognato's piquet light blankets and sheets made with 100% natural fibers

High quality and durable 100% natural fibers cottom sheets

And let me tell you, these blankets will keep you warm in the coldest of New England winters even without a furnace.
Let me explain, we obviously have a furnace, but Gil and I set it at 50 degrees and it rarely ever kicks in, so we usually have an extremely cold house and we love it.
We always wear socks and sweat shirts and sweat pants in the house and always sleep with our heavy Tognato blankets.

Fluffy comfy, durable Tognato's heavy blankets

HERE is the link to Tognato's website, you can see their entire line of products and find the locations where you can buy a Tognato blanket.

Jessica, you can find Tognato's blankets in Santos at a store called:

Enxovais Capricho
Avenida Ana Costa #549
Gonzaga-Santos
Phone: (13) 3284-4510

Ok, I love Tognato's history so much I decided to translate their story below, followed by the original text in Portuguese extracted from their website:

ENGLISH

Originally from Lusia, a Province called Rovigo in the Veneta region of Italy, Valente, Giulia Tognato and their nine young children embarked to the port of Santos, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and from Santos, directly to the coffee plantations at the Sao Paulo state's country side.

Returning to the city of Sao Paulo, they got a job at "Crespi" Cotton's Gin and a few years later moved to Santo Andre, in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, and got jobs at "Ipiranguinha"textile mill.

In 1909, 5 of their sons, Giacinto Pietro, Romano, Attilio, Massimiliano Angelo and 1 of their daughters Amabile, took a modest loan from the Bank of London, and purchased 2 English looms and began to make light cotton blankets in a small production in the back of the family's home.

As their small industry developed, they founded "Tognato Brothers" in 1910, Giacinto started to make yearly trips to Italy where he would find and bring to Brazil the latest fashion trends and new looms techniques to be able to implement them to their new factory.

In 1930, their factory had 65,000 square feet (20,000 square meters), employed 500 people and made 2500 blankets per day.

In 1940, they moved the factory to Sao Bernardo do Campo, to a location 10 times bigger, 650,000 square feet factory.

In 2005 they moved yet again to a gigantic, modern new factory at Via Anchieta, also in Sao Bernardo do Campo, just outside of Sao Paulo.

Today Tognato make products of the highest quality, including blankets, Piquet Blankets, and also makes sheets, bath towels, bath robes, table cloths and cloth napkins. They are also very strong supplying textile products to hotels and restaurants.

Quality and tradition not always go hand in hand, but when it does the result is certain success.

 Tognato made it to 100 years of tradition in 2010, making among other products, heavy blankets, light blankets, sheets e Piquet light blankets made with 100% natural fibers, specially selected to design elegance and extreme durability, which are Tognato's trade mark.

Having a strong presence in Brazil's textile market, Tognato proudly showcases it's products among the main stores around the country, besides having a strong presence in the most important Hospitals and Hotels. 

To evolve, make a difference and have products of the ultimate quality and durability has always been and will always be Tognato's focus, because this is most definitely the reason that we have been in the in business for over 100 years.

PORTUGUESE

Historia

Originário da Lusia, Província de Rovigo na região Vêneta, Valente e Giulia Tognato e seus nove filhos menores embaracam em 1895 rumo ao porto de Santos, e, diretamente às lavouras de café do interior de São Paulo.

Voltando a Capital, empregaram-se no Cotonifício Crespi e alguns anos depois mudaram-se para Santo André trabalhando na Tecelagem Ipiranguinha.

Em 1909, os irmãos Giacinto Pietro, Romano, Attilio, Massimiliano Angelo e a irmã Amabile, com um módesto empréstimo de Banco de Londres, compraram 2 teares ingleses e iniciaram no fundo da casa onde morava toda a família, uma pequena produção de colchas de algodão.

Com o desenvolvimento da Irmãos Tognato, Giacinto passou a viajar anualmente para a Itália de onde trazia as últimas novidades européias e técnicos texteis para executá-las.

Na década de trinta, a indústria ocupava 20.000 metros, empregava 500 operários e fabricava 2500 peças dia.

Na década de quarenta, mudaram-se para área de 200.000 metros em São Bernardo do Campo.

Hoje, a indústria está instalada na Via Anchieta produzindo com a mesma qualidade os Cobertores e Colchas Piquet Tognato e incorporando à sua linha de produtos, uma solução completa para enxoval de cama. Está contemplado no seu portfólio também enxoval para eventos para hotéis e buffets e um conjunto de itens para enxoval de mesa.

Tradição e qualidade nem sempre andam juntas e quando isso acontece o resultado é sucesso.

A Tognato chega aos 100 anos em 2010, fabricando entre outros produtos, Cobertores, Mantas, Lençóis e Colchas Piquet em fibra 100% natural, especialmente selecionada para atingir a beleza, elegância e extrema durabilidade, suas principais características.

Presente no mercado de enxovais de cama,com orgulho apresenta seus produtos pelas principais lojas do país, além de estar nos mais importantes hotéis e hospitais.

Evoluir, fazer a diferença e ter produtos de máxima qualidade e durabilidade sempre foi e continuará sendo o foco da empresa, pois esse seguramente é o motivo de continuar por mais 100 anos no mercado.

             Now get off the couch and go get your Tognato heavy blanket, winter is promising to be a chilly one in Brazil this year... ;)

PS: Ok, not you Jennifer, you should be just fine in Buritis, Rondonia... :)

Ray