Help Center: About Us

Vermicular is a cookware brand with a heritage of over 85 years in cast iron mastery. Founded in 1936 by the Hijikata family, the Aichi Dobby foundry had been historically renowned for its precision in casting and machining iron. When the third-generation Hijikata brothers took over the family business in the early 2000's and channeled the company's specialized expertise into the world's first precision-sealed enameled cast iron pot, what emerged was an unforeseen level of passion and dedication to provide people of all cooking levels with products that would truly improve the experience of cooking and intensify the flavors of food.

Since then, the brand has grown—having developed a whole line of exceptionally performing, high quality cast iron cookware, expanded globally across markets in Asia and the United States, and celebrated the grand openings of two flagship stores in Japan.

Through boundary-breaking cast iron innovation, the relentless dual pursuit of excellence in design and functionality, and the expertise of Japanese craftsmanship, Vermicular strives to promote the joy of cooking to all.

Watch the Vermicular Brand Story video to learn more.

Our brand was named after the worm-like shape of the molecules that make up vermicular graphite iron, an essential component of our cast iron cookware. Vermicular graphite iron is a unique material possessing hybrid characteristics of exceptional heat conduction and durability. It has played a pivotal role in achieving our signature precision seal, making our cast iron cookware one of a kind. We named our brand, Vermicular, in honor of our heritage as a cast iron manufacturer for over 85 years.

The entire collection of Vermicular cookware is designed, manufactured, and assembled at our foundry in Nagoya, Japan. Each piece of cookware is handcrafted and hand-assembled in a three-part process—casting, machining, and enameling—by our master craftspeople at our foundry, building on over 85 years of cast iron expertise. We are committed to delivering products that meet the highest quality and safety standards.

Watch the Vermicular Foundry video to learn more.

The safety of our customers is of utmost importance to us. All Vermicular cookware is free from potentially toxic materials like PFOA, PTFE, and PFAS, as well as lead, cadmium, or other toxic metals.

Our enameled cast iron cookware is fully compliant with the FDA and CA Proposition 65 requirements in the US. We have conducted third-party testing in both Japan and the US, and have received confirmation that none of our enameled cast iron cookware contains cadmium or lead. We’ve also conducted product wipe testing to evaluate potential dislodgeable lead and cadmium levels on the exterior of the pot, and neither lead nor cadmium was detected in the wipe samples.

Note: Cadmium is often used in color pigments for bright exterior colors such as red, yellow, and orange. We do not use any of these color pigments—instead, our line of products is available in a range of safe, non-toxic neutral colors.