Villeroy & Boch AG is a European company, with its headquarters in Mettlach in the Saarland (Germany). The company produces both sanitary ware and tableware. The tableware division includes porcelain tableware (plates, coffee and tea sets) and decoration in porcelain. In the second half of the 20th century, cutlery and crystal objects (crystal tableware, carafes, gift items) were also added.
The company began in the village of Audun-le-Tiche in Lorraine, where François Boch and his three sons Boch started a pottery in 1748. In 1767, the company moved to nearby Luxembourg, as a result of the annexation of Lorraine by France. The company faced competition from numerous French pottery manufacturers and was also cut off from its largest sales market, Luxembourg. The company obtained exemption from import and export duties from the Austrian government of the then Southern Netherlands. The company established itself in Septfontaines and was transformed into a porcelain factory. In 1809, Jean-François Boch opened a factory in Mettlach in Germany. On 14 April 1836, the company merged with that of Nicolas Villeroy and became Villeroy & Boch (V&B).
