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Giacomo Penzo: Artisan Craftsman, Peterson's Pipe Specialist, and Pipe Wizard
Portrait of Chuck Stanion by Artur Lopes
Inspiration takes shape for artisan pipe makers in a variety of ways, whether from an artistic background or one of design prowess. For Italian pipe maker, Giacomo Penzo, the latter rings true, and the young craftsman has harnessed his skills and further strengthened them as Pipe Specialist at Peterson in Ireland.
Giacomo's Background
Giacomo Penzo was born on August 8, 1991, in Vicenza, Italy. From an early age, he was fascinated by manual work and creating, which led to his interest in pipes. "I am a very curious person," he said via Pipedia. "I love beautiful and genuine things that life offers us, the real things that preserve a tradition and a noble character like a pipe."
He has been interested in pipe smoking since around 2008-2009, when he was 17 years old in high school. He tried smoking cigars with friends and he found he liked the taste of tobacco, gravitating to slow-smoking. He went to an arts high school and excelled in sculpture, architecture, art, and painting, learning to model clay and plaster, developing skills technically and manually, and expressing his artistry.
Eventually, he would gain experience in learning about pipe smoking and making through his studies in Industrial Design at the Università Iuav di Venezia (IUAV) in Venice, Italy, graduating in 2013. "It was love at first sight. Its use, its rituals involved me so much that during my university studies I spent with the pipe a lot of my free time."
His affection for pipes only grew from there, turning into a hobby and a passion. "I did a lot of research," he shared in an interview in 2020 for Smokingpipes Europe, "and bought some books like Aldo Pellissone's Pipa Hobby, a book about pipe making as a hobby which soon became my pipe-making Bible. Eventually I figured out that what I liked so much was that it allowed me to use my natural skills and fully satisfy my infatuation for creating, a drive which has been with me since I was a kid."
Soon, he started making pipes in what he calls a "real DIY workshop" in his garage at home that was set up by his father and grandfather. He also gained experience through practice and through the web with the FLP Community. Visits to artisan workshops and making friends at the Pipa Club Vicenza, alongside sheer determination, impacted his early years in pipe making as well.
"Once, during a meeting of enthusiasts and collectors in Padua," he stated in this interview, "I met Massimiliano Rimensi of Il Duca, who after a while would welcome me into his workshop, giving me the chance to improve myself further. Before long I started to make pipes on a commission basis, and soon after they were being noticed by retailers, growing demand again." He garnered the attention of Italian pipe smokers, and beyond commission work, he also made repairs to stems, cleaning, replacing, and restoring them.
After his studies at university, he interned at a design office that engineered power tools, including drills and circular saws. He would transform his passion into a full-fledged career in February of 2015 when he started his own business, "giving birth to G. Penzo Pipes," he said via a recent interview with me, "at first focusing on the domestic Italian market, and then in 2016 attending my first Chicago Pipe Show and the Chengde International Pipe Show in China." Through his company, he created pipes for trade and designed handmade briar and other wood pipes.
In the past few years, he has attended the International Pipe Show, meeting many different pipe makers from all over the world, from Denmark to America to other European countries, to China, and beyond. "I was very happy to meet Adam Davidson," he said. "He is one of my favorite American pipe makers. He's so creative and his work and identity is so strong. He's always very clever and interesting.
"I love the atmosphere in artisan pipe making. There's no rivalry. Everybody has their own personal style, so nobody needs to copy someone else. It's like a big family. That's what I love most, probably, about the pipe world."
After launching his own brand, the response was very positive. In 2017, he started his collaboration with Smokingpipes, distributing his pipes to the United States market.
His Pipe-Making Style
Based on his background in industrial design, his approach to pipe making is pragmatic. "First of all it is a tool that has to work efficiently, be aesthetic and be smoked optimally at the same time," he shared via Pipedia. "A pipe project has a very straight path of parameters to follow for materials and technical-productive aspects."
He creates classic shapes more than anything because of their evergreen and functional sense of style. "They are made first of all through the medium of a lathe, then a disk and finally the mouthpiece is cut and worked handmade starting from the board."
He enjoys classic pipes, but also likes to make unconventional ones following the Danish method. "I give them the shape on the disk intensifying the wood grain," he shared, "then I pierce it, cut the mouthpiece, and I finish off the pipe. The materials I use are briar, corbezzolo, olivewood for the head; hard rubber, cumberland or methacrylate for the mouthpiece and boxwood, palm, white walnut, corno, and bamboo for the inserts."
Today, his body of work presents a variety of influences across shaping schools, utilizing a range of materials, and a wide selection of styles and finishes, all done with grace and poise. They also showcase takes on Danish, Anglo-French, and Italian design, remarkable in form and function alike.
Early Days at Peterson
With his success domestically and abroad, Giacomo captured the attention of Smokingpipes' own Shane Ireland, the now Vice President of Retail. While Shane was on a tour around Italy, he heard of Giacomo as a pipe maker, and got word that he was potentially interested in working at a pipe factory to further hone his skills and expand his skillset.
Josh Burgess, Vice President of Manufacturing at Smokingpipes, also knew of Giacomo, and asked Shane and Glen Whelan, Managing Director of Peterson, if they would be interested in having him join the team. The timing was right — around December of 2018, Peterson's Sallynoggin factory was looking to improve the production process. This was Peterson's first venture into having an artisan pipe maker in-house working in the factory, and they were eager to meet Giacomo.
"My first reaction was of surprise and excitement," Giacomo shared in the interview with Smokingpipes Europe. "Working for the oldest pipe factory in the world and lending them my skills and knowledge to improve the production process (and therefore the product itself) would be a great challenge and an opportunity for me to gain new experience and grow professionally." He was also intrigued by the prospect of being able to keep working independently in his free time on his own G. Penzo pipes.
"Giacomo came over to Ireland not long after that first interaction and he interviewed," said Glen via a recent interview with me. "He interviewed really well, he was impressive in his knowledge, he was genuinely interested in Peterson as a brand and the history, and he was a really good fit for the factory." With this positive experience, they offered him a position as Peterson's Pipe Specialist.
He accepted the offer and made the move from Italy to Ireland on March 18, 2019, with his partner Marianna, starting work at Peterson on March 25, within six weeks of that interview. "It all happened very quickly for him, which was great for us," said Glen. "He's well settled now in Ireland. He's happy here, so I think he's stuck with us now. I don't think he's gonna escape."
From the get-go, Giacomo felt at home at Peterson. "Their great kindness and friendliness helped me a lot in my integration," he shared, "which, of course, can be disorienting at first, even with that support. Ireland is a fascinating country and its people are friendly and welcoming. Possibly the only drawback has been the strong wind that just won't give me a break."
Adjusting to Peterson
Upon joining Peterson in Ireland in 2019, Giacomo became a vital team member quickly, only taking a few months to dial in an efficient setup of his workshop. "I love pipes," he said, "and working with pipes is almost like not working. When you like something, and you can work in the same area with the same product, it is a pleasure. It's still an amazing experience because I'm learning so many things. I'm involved in very interesting projects. I love my work and working with pipes, and working with the Laudisi family."
At the factory, there are various stations. "Giacomo was originally brought in to work in the papering area," said Glen, "which involves the shaping of the pipes, but he was also someone that we would lean on when we'd be in the early stages of R&D on new products. He has always been very good at anticipating potential problems when we try something new in the factory setting. We always lean on him."
During the interview with Smokingpipes Europe, he shared that he was familiar even from the early days on a macro level with each step of the pipe-making process and its execution. His duties involved suggesting new constructive methodologies to enhance the pipes, which has continued ever since. He started working in what he referred to as the "BTA" area, where bowls are drilled and fitted with a mouthpiece.
"This gave me the chance to quickly learn the Peterson shape chart," said Giacomo, "as well as the stems used for each of the Peterson lines and the shapes within them." Joe Kenny also taught him how to assemble silver on acrylic, vulcanite, and amber stems, which are used for the Spigot line.
After a short while, he found himself focusing more on the details — testing new construction techniques and new finishing methods, and generally improving his craft while making the process more efficient with fewer pieces. He recognized that most of the operations in the factory are the same as artisanal ones, with the numbers as the main difference of pipes and artisans involved. "Thankfully we have a great team at Peterson," he said, "from factory floor to administration, and their unified front keeps that harmony in balance."
Giacomo likes classic and efficient shapes, which Peterson does well, and he shared his favorites at the time of that interview with Smokingpipes Europe along with his first pipe made in Ireland:
It wasn't long before Giacomo started taking the lead in training people, especially once sandblasting was brought into the factory. He helped set up the blasting cabinets, training people on what the goal is, when to chase the briar, and so forth. Within the interview with Smokingpipes Europe, he shared, "Peterson recently acquired an efficient and contemporary sandblasting machine that allows us to sandblast a bowl within 3-4 minutes, each with amazing results, so part of my duties for the last little while have involved applying industrial design to ensure that we get a consistent result. Once these standards have been set, the task switches to training the relevant staff to implement them."
Giacomo doesn't have a true lane in the factory; he is in and out of the manufacturing side. "Through various projects along the way," said Glen, "from staining projects to new finishes, Giacomo became this all-encompassing Pipe Specialist, from the making to the engineering to the top, and every piece of pipe making." Then, when bowl turning machines were brought into the factory, Giacomo was once again instrumental. "He took the lead on the bowl turning," said Glen. "He sets up all the machines now, which is an exact science for bowl turning because if you don't get it right the first time, you'll repeat that mistake over and over until you catch it, basically.
"We call bowl turning pre-production," said Glen. "It's almost like a factory within a factory. He heads up pre-production, but he's also really heavily involved in manufacturing as well. He is one of the few people we have in the factory that's able to do every single part of production."
As far as working alongside him, Glen appreciates Giacomo's calm demeanor, similar to his own, and his ability to keep a level head when faced with challenges or lots of work to be done. "He'll buckle in in all aspects of production," said Glen. "He's very good at anticipating potential issues and that's hugely important when we're thinking of new ideas for the factory and new releases, especially if we do things we've never done previously."
He is also crucial in tooling at the factory. "He has made so many enhancements to the tooling," said Glen. "When you're in a pipe factory, you're almost reinventing the wheel because these machines have been for over 150 years. They've been brought up to modern standards, but it's the same tooling that would have been used 100 years ago. The fact he has been able to make tooling improvements is a testament to his brain and how he thinks about pipe manufacturing as a whole."
A Pipe Wizard
Giacomo was a big driver of new finishes in recent years, like Rua and Iora. Sykes Wilford, CEO of Laudisi, came up with the idea that Peterson should do a two-tone textured sandblast. "Giacomo is the one who went into the factory to execute and deliver those finishes," said Glen. "He's a good eye and predictor of things. I could concretely say that he's never been wrong in his assertions when he's told us something won't work in a factory. It's nice to have someone like that who is still calm and calculated in how they think."
Peterson's 160th Anniversary Pipes
Giacomo is also proud to have helped develop series at Peterson over the years, including Pipe of the Year editions since 2020, special projects like the 160th Anniversary pipe, and other recent releases. He believes it has been vital to apply his knowledge of design in pipe production on a big scale. When he is developing a shape that has to be replicated in big numbers, or going through every step of the process, which requires testing many times to find the right result and the best way to produce for efficiency, he applies his knowledge to make the factory as seamless as possible, despite complex production. "There's so many things involved in a factory for pipe production," he said. "Sometimes it is hard to explain it to other people."
One of the most important rules in the factory, according to Giacomo, is making everything easier, faster, and more well done to help out the rest of the team. "Moving from my small workshop as an artisan pipe maker to a big factory with 40 people was a big change. Before, everything was up to me. Here, there's many people involved, so it's not always easy to manage everything. But we are a very good team. Even when it's hard, we always find a solution."
On a daily basis, you can find Giacomo doing a lot of things at the factory. "I manage the pre-production area," he shared, "so the bowl turning, everything involving receiving the briar, sorting the blocks, setting the machine, working on the machine, and shaping of the bowl after the bowl-turning process. I also manage the assembly area, where the shanks are drilled, the stems, and the assembly of the pipe before the production process." The list goes on. He also makes prototypes of new pipes, helps with training new people at Peterson, and fixes problems around the factory.
As for his favorite area of the factory, he loves bowl turning. "It's part of the design of the pipe. It's where the bowl is born." No matter where he works, his expertise and passion for the pipe are evident in every piece he works on. "He's basically a pipe wizard," said Glen. "That's the only way I can describe the guy."
Embracing Peterson
"He's really embraced Peterson as a brand as well," continued Glen. "Prior to working here, he was from Verona, Italy, and came to us with knowledge, and that has only spiked from working here." The pair often have chats about bringing back old shapes as new releases, which Glen is very fond of. "It's one of our favorite conversation topics." Giacomo is in tune with the history of Peterson, Laudisi's history at Peterson, and where we want to take the brand. He's on the same wavelength overall.
Culturally, Giacomo has had to adjust to Ireland and even learn English. "Giacomo came over to Dublin with very little English, and it's perfect now," said Glen. "He's learned a lot of swear words before he learned conversational English, but that just comes from a factory, I think."
Artisan Pipes & His Future at Peterson
In the present day, Giacomo continues to share his experience as Peterson's Pipe Specialist. While he consults on all stages of pipe making, he still finds the time to create his own G. Penzo artisan creations, each one stamped with a mountain, shell, or flame to denote the finish.
However, his production is less than what he produced prior to working at the Irish marque. "Sometimes I stay one or two hours more to make my own pipes," said Giacomo. "I can make 20-30 pipes a year. I also had two kids in the last few years, so I'm quite busy."
Now, he dedicates his time to making pipes he truly wants to make. "I stopped working on commission and crazy projects since they take a lot of time," he said. "I wanted to dedicate my free time to making pipes that I really like, focusing more on details and working on different styles, shapes, colors, and materials."
Additionally, since he works full-time at Peterson, pipe making isn't funding his whole life anymore as it once did. "It's more like a hobby now to make my own pipes, which I enjoy even more. If I didn't make pipes back then, and didn't produce the number I needed to, I wouldn't be able to live and pay bills." His artisan creations are a bonus now, and his approach because of it has become much more relaxed. "I just make what I feel I can do in the time I have."
As for where Giacomo is going from here, after achieving so much at such a young age, he shares that he hopes to continue improving his pipe making. "There's many projects at the moment," he said, "so I would like to work on and develop them with the team and see what we're able to do. Even as a pipe maker, I think I'm learning a lot from the factory process at Peterson. I'm quite optimistic about the future."
As an artist, craftsman, and Pipe Specialist for the oldest continuously operating briar pipe factory in the world, Giacomo Penzo is an impressive figure by any measure. I'm honored to be given the opportunity to speak with him and share his story. Thank you to Giacomo and Glen for their assistance in telling it.
Bibliography
- Giacomo Penzo. Pipedia. (n.d.). Courtesy of LePipe.it..
- O'Neill, A. (2020, May 12). An Interview With Giacomo Penzo. Smokingpipes Europe.
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