Though we love to cook in Dutch ovens at home, we can’t deny that they’re pricey (making them “prime for disruption”). Enter Milo, founded by LA-based Zach Schau. He’s a serial entrepreneur (he was a co-founder of bike manufacturer Pure Cycles in his twenties) who had taken to using a coated cast iron Dutch oven at home and wondered whether he could find a way to bring the price down. After visiting factories in Europe, the US, and Asia, Schau concluded that “the process of casting iron is a centuries-old technology and the materials are affordable,” but that the large overhead of established brands necessitated the high prices. Adopting the now-ubiquitous direct-to-consumer model, Schau just released his first product: the Milo Dutch oven in a single color and size, comparable in quality (he says) to the famous brands and backed by a lifetime guarantee.
Photography courtesy of Milo.
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
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Milo makes maintenance recommendations on its website: Small brown spots that accumulate with use can be removed with soap and water or Bar Keeper’s Friend, and an occasional rubdown with a thin coat of oil will help prevent spots from occurring in the first place.
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
For more Objects of Desire across our sites, see:
- Object of Desire: Woven Baskets from Baba Tree
- Object of Desire: Birch Bristle Doormat
- Object of Desire: Nawrap Binchotan Charcoal Dish and Bath Cloths from Japan
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