Ambassade de Bourgogne

French professional ranges designed and manufactured in Lacanche, Burgundy. Professional brand of SIL (also known for Lacanche). Living Heritage Company label. Acquired by Groupe SEB in 2024.

The story begins well before the brand. In 1763, Jean-Baptiste de Richard de Curtil built a foundry and forge in Lacanche, a small Burgundian village 30 km from Beaune, to exploit the abundant iron ore and water. The Caumartin family took over thirty years later and made the first cast iron ranges, descendants of 17th-century "potagers." These massive stoves made Lacanche prosperous throughout the 19th century.

In the 1950s, modern appliances made these heavyweights obsolete. Sales faltered. André Augagneur took over and pivoted to professional equipment, creating the Ambassade de Bourgogne brand for restaurants, catering operations and institutional kitchens. Equipment built for intensive use, manufactured in Lacanche with the same foundry expertise.

The range expanded: modular gas ranges, coup de feu plates (those thick cast iron plates heated from below, essential in traditional French kitchens), grills, fryers, stockpots. Over 100,000 units sold across Europe. Manufacturing remains artisanal, made to order, each piece assembled at the Lacanche factory in Arnay-le-Duc.

In 1989, Jean-Jacques Augagneur succeeded his father. He launched the Lacanche brand for home use (1992), while Ambassade de Bourgogne remained SIL's professional pillar. In 1995, SIL acquired Établissements Paul Charvet. In 2010, SIL received the Living Heritage Company label.

The turning point came in 2024: Groupe SEB acquired all of SIL and its three brands. Over two centuries of independence ended. Manufacturing stays in Burgundy, but the future under a consumer appliance giant remains an open question.