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Caspari Celebrates 75 Years of Sustainability

Caspari Celebrates 75 Years of Sustainability

75 Years of Sustainability

This year, Caspari celebrates 75 years. Since 1945, Caspari has quietly gone about the business of publishing and celebrating the work of artists and museum collections. Along the way, the company has always been committed to producing our products with the use of environmentally responsible raw materials and processes.
Our key printers and paper suppliers are leaders in the use of renewable resources. These partners print on FSC or SFI certified paper stocks and print in facilities that qualify as low-energy sites or obtain a significant percentage of the electricity used in manufacturing coming from wind power. A large percentage of Caspari product is printed and handcrafted in our own print shop and bindery in the United States. Our collection of placemats and desk accessories are handmade, incorporating the same skills used in centuries past to create beautiful handmade objects. The Caspari print shop creates stationery which is all printed on FSC certified paper. Furthermore, we are in the midst of installing solar panels in our facility to substantially reduce our energy consumption.
  • All Caspari napkins, guest towels, hankies, cards, invitations, stationery, gift wrap, tags, and enclosures are printed on FSC-certified paper.
  • Paper plates are printed on paperboard that is SFI certified.
  • Only water-based dyes are used in the printing of our napkins and plates.
  • The bleaching of tissue for our napkins uses oxygen instead of chlorine, eliminating the use of an environmentally harmful chemical.
  • All discharges of wastewater to the wastewater systems are groundwater neutral and environmentally safe.
  • All napkin, hankie and tablecover packaging is recyclable.
  • Our vendors work with recyclable and environmentally safe packing material.


Licensing

Caspari maintains a philosophy of presenting a wide selection of designs from world renowned museums and independent artists ranging in style from traditional to contemporary. By licensing artwork for publication, Caspari makes it possible for beautiful pieces of art to be not only seen but enjoyed in homes the world over. The royalties generated from the sale of licensed products ensure that museum collections are preserved and that independent artists can continue to create new artwork.

Caspari Through the Years

  • 1945: H. George Caspari meets printer Sven Levison in Denmark over liar’s dice and begins distributing his Christmas cards.
  • 1945 to 1970: George develops an affinity for pfefferlinger, white asparagus, and gold bronzing powder, and seeks a fine art printer in Switzerland to satisfy these lavish tastes. His search leads him to make the acquaintance of Ruedi Wolfensberger of J.E. Wolfensberger of Zurich. Ruedi and George live the high-life in Europe, traveling London, Frankfurt, Paris, and St. Moritz. George’s great style came to life using original artwork from museums around the world.
  • 1977: Douglas H. Stevens acquires Caspari and very quickly learns the European way of life, traveling to trade shows and printers, and visiting museums and artists around the world. He designs the triple-fold card to replicate the 6-panel gold leaf screens from China and Japan.
  • During this period, Caspari’s famous gold bronzed cards are being used by Laura Lee Alexander to create desk accessories in her atelier in New England.
  • 1981: Douglas hires Lisa Fingeret (Caspari's President today!) as a friendly gesture to her mother and stepfather, who were his close friends.
  • 1983: Caspari begins printing paper napkins to look like textiles. We open distribution in Europe and the sales of paper napkins in Scandinavia are greater than in the United States. Another warehouse is needed in Denmark!
  • 1984: The Caspari sales team pleads to end the madness and return to the safety of greeted cards and gift wrap sales.
  • 1987: Undaunted, the tabletop collection becomes a significant part of the Caspari line!
  • 1990: Douglas attends a dinner party in Greenwich and is asked by a fellow guest what he has against paper plates, she claims that he evidently does not do the dishes in his house. This sparks an idea, and thus began the printing of paper plates in the United States.
  • 1998: Caspari's UK distributor, retires from the business, and Doug, Caralyn, and Lisa set up shop across the pond at the Birmingham fair, starting Caspari, Ltd.
  • Business continues as usual, keeping the main office in New York City as close to the showroom at 225 Fifth Avenue as possible.
  • 2001: Patrick Frey calls Doug and Lisa, explaining that the European market will never understand the vision of Caspari without a storefront. Thus, the opening of Caspari in Paris at 7 rue Jacob.
  • 2004: Lisa and Doug search for a retail location in New York City to build the Caspari vision in the US. but the harsh reality of NYC rent puts a damper on their dreams. Meanwhile, Lisa purchases a house near her parents’ in beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia and recognizes the dream of the Charlottesville lifestyle.
  • 2005: The vision of Caspari opens in Charlottesville on the historic downtown mall.
  • 2008: The entire New York office escapes NYC and moves to either Seymour, Connecticut or Charlottesville, Virginia.
  • 2009: A warehouse is opened in Suffolk, Virginia to be closer to an international port as a means to reduce Caspari’s carbon footprint.
  • 2013: While selling our product internationally, we find new partners willing to endure our exacting standards to develop coordinating gift items, such as rattan, lacquer, acrylic and ribbons.
  • 2020: Caspari has now sustained for 75 years as a leader in the Art of Entertaining. It has been a privilege to work with such an astounding array of talented artists, printers, salespeople and retailers. We are grateful for your support and thank you for many years of loyal patronage. We look forward to the next 75 years.

 

Highlights of Our Spring 2020 Collection

Chinoiserie imagery will always feature prominently in Caspari design, and this spring, we mix intricate patterns inspired by painted ceramics with bold and graphic botanicals. Traditional styles, such as Artist Paige Gemmel's chic and whimsical Monkeys, are balanced perfectly by the full-blown blooms of prints like Jefferson's Garden Study—a celebration of color inspired by Thomas Jefferson's botanical studies and travels around the world.

 

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