Interview with Joan Lloveras, director of TPB Barcelona

2018-02-27 In this interview Joan tells us how the partnership between the two brands began, what the technological innovations in TPB Tech® cookers are, and how they can help consumers create an increasingly smart kitchen customised to suit their needs.

• How did the partnership with SapienStone begin? Why did you start working with the brand?

 
Starting out on the basis of the assumption that the primary basis for the technology we have developed is porcelain, we realised that not all types of porcelain on the market were suitable for use with TPB Tech® technology.
We were already familiar with the Iris Ceramica Group, of which the SapienStone brand is a member, and so we started studying the company’s materials and combining our forces to develop a technology to respond to a number of specific requirements of the market.
Combining the technology of the TPB Tech® induction cooker with the high quality performance offered by SapienStone porcelain countertops allowed us to make a leap of quality, not only in terms of the product’s image, but by improving a number of features of our product’s cleanliness and maintenance which could not be achieved with other types of countertop, such as glass ceramic or steel.
 

• How did you come up with the idea of the TPB Tech induction cooker®? What was the need you identified among consumers?

 
Consumers increasingly want to customise their living spaces in response to their own needs and personalities. The kitchen space is also evolving in this direction, becoming increasingly unique and smart, with accessories that make life easier and fit harmoniously into our increasingly fast-paced lifestyle. The technology developed by TPB, combined with SapienStone materials, responds precisely to this need to customise spaces, in both aesthetic and functional terms.
And as I just pointed out, porcelain also offers benefits in terms of maintenance, as it is a safe, scratch-proof, easy to clean material.
 

• Tell us about the innovative features of the TPB tech® induction cooker: what makes it different from all the rest?

 
In the past, when we offered induction cookers to consumers, we started out by inspecting their kitchen, and we normally suggested a black or white glass cooking surface, installed with the elements in the same location as the existing ones. The position and type of induction cooker were therefore strictly dependent on the type of kitchen and the position of the cooking elements.
TPB Tech® and SapienStone do away with this constraint, as customers are free to create and position the cooker however they wish, deciding what cooking points to install and where. They could even decide to install the induction cooker right on the table!
This means 100% practicality, because elements will never be located too close together. And as there is no separation of cooker and table, and everything is integrated in a single surface, a lot of hazardous situations will be avoided, such as food splashing into the flame, flames too close to the edge, where children can touch them, or frying pans delicately balanced where they could easily fall.
 

• What makes SapienStone porcelain unique?

 
As I have mentioned, porcelain and specifically SapienStone porcelain is the best material for making the most of all the potential of our induction cooking technology.
Materials such glass are normally used for this purpose. Glass, and particularly glass ceramic, helps to disperse heat quickly, but it is a very fragile, delicate material, at greater risk of scratching, and is also harder to clean.
If, on the other hand, we combine an outstanding product such as SapienStone porcelain with TPB Tech® induction cooking technology, we can provide consumers with a smart cooker that can be cleaned by simply wiping it off with a damp cloth as soon as the pan has been taken off the induction cooker, and a surface on which we can not only cook but eat, and which will remain in perfect condition over the years.
 

• What’s the top in the kitchen?

I think the top in the kitchen is combining different strengths and technologies. As is the case of TPB and SapienStone, two brands that have invested, and continue to invest, in innovation, creating a partnership combining the best of both technologies: the new developments in TPB Tech® induction cookers and the high quality performance of porcelain, with the guarantee of an Italian brand such as SapienStone.
 
The Editors.