Made in France
Cock-a-doodle-doo! If you are looking for products that are proudly Made in France, you have come to the right place! Discover our Made in France range: from our very first lunch box, the MB Original, to the practical transparent bento boxes ideal for meal prepping, not forgetting our favourite accessory, the MB Furoshiki, give your lunch break a unique French touch!
Made in France
monbento, first and foremost, a French brand!
Did you know that monbento was created in France, at the heart of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in Clermont-Ferrand? The land of volcanoes, and also the lunch box! It all started in 2009… Many years and many new products later, our head offices and our warehouse, which we ship all your orders from, are still based in Clermont-Ferrand! In the meantime, we've also found trusted partners in our region to produce our flagship products and hence offer you bento boxes that are proudly Made in France. Join us on a Made in France adventure!
The Made in France label indicates that our products have indeed been made in France.
As a French brand, producing our products in France is something we hold close to our hearts. By producing closer to the markets, in the heart of Europe, we're thus able to reduce our carbon footprint. This protocol also means that we can boost quality and showcase our careers and French expertise. Of course, we work hand-in-hand with local partners, who we've carefully chosen and who we fully trust to produce our flagship products, so that they can join you on your adventures for as long as possible. Manufacturing in France also enables us to better control our production costs and to preserve the DNA of our bento boxes.
It's for all of these reasons that our most popular lunch boxes, the MB Original and the MB Square, are now made in France. When we release a new product, we study the possibilities of local partnerships, and if the expertise and conditions allow for it, we have it manufactured in France.
You can see the "Made in France" label on our website, our blog or even on our social media: it means that the product has been manufactured in France. You'll also probably see the label "French Design" on our website, as well as on our products, or sometimes "Designed in France". This directly references our design team, which is based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and which works to design and offer you products that perfectly meet your needs. This therefore means that the product in question has been thought of and designed by our French team.
So, to sum things up: "French Design" relates only to the design and development of the product, whereas "Made in France" relates to its manufacturing.
As we've mentioned before, our flagship products are now manufactured in France. The rest of our products are made responsible in China, by trusted partners with whom we're constantly in touch.
So, how do you know if your monbento product was made in France or not? Well, we've got a special section dedicated to Made in France lunch boxes on our website. Moreover, the notion of a product being produced in France is highlighted on our website by a little French flag, or by our Made in France logo, which resembles our beloved hexagon!
On products, you'll find this same "Made in France" crowing cockerel on our packaging and on your bento box.
In addition to the France symbol to help you spot the products made here, we've put together a little summary of our Made in France items!
The MB Original: the 1L bento box
The first monbento on the market, our first lunch box, our cherished first-born, our icon, our bestseller and customer favorite is also our first product to be manufactured in France! In 2017, its manufacturing was repatriated to France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to be precise, the birthplace of monbento.
Designed by our teams in France, it features the iconic rectangular shape of traditional Japanese bento boxes. It's made with PBT, a high-resistance plastic which means that this lunch box is microwave-, dishwasher- and freezer-safe. It contains two leakproof containers, each holding 500 ml (17 floz), as well as a small container for organizing your bento box.
Its smart design means that it can also hold a set of the MB Slim Box cutlery to go (sold separately) underneath its top lid, in order to transport everything you need. The little extra that makes all the difference? Its intermediate lids have bi-injected seals, which mean all containers are completely leakproof and offer optimal hygiene.
The MB Square: the 1,7L lunch box
After the MB Original, our second favorite bento box is the MB Square! So, it seems pretty obvious to us to offer you this large-format lunch box in a Made in France version. That's why we started producing it in France in 2021.
For this lunch box, we've opted for a square shape with tall edges, so you can get two containers, each with a capacity of 850 ml (29 floz), ideal for your sandwiches! The advantage of this format is that it can also be used as a single-level container, or even shared. So that you can easily transport your lasagna share or your salad in one of the containers, we've included a second elastic strap in this lunch box, compatible with only one level to the bento box. This way, you can hold together your 850 ml (29 floz)container, the top lid of your bento box and your cutlery on the go set, slipped just underneath (sold separately).The MB Square large lunch box also includes a small compartment which takes up half of a container, so that you can separate the different parts of your lunch. It's made in PP, a sustainable and resistant plastic, on top of being recyclable!
To come with you in your self-serve, bulk product food store, we've also designed a single version of the MB Square, with a transparent lid. Sold in sets of 3 in the zero-waste set, these storage boxes will soon become your must-haves!
The MB Gourmet: the transparent lunch box
In 2021, as new legislation on reusable goods in the catering sector emerged, our design team came up with a lunch box which would suit catering professionals as well as amateur lunch-on-the-go fans and avid meal-preppers. That's how the MB Gourmet lunch box came to be! To make it, we chose a material that we were already familiar with: Tritan™. Indeed, we're already using this resistant material for our transparent MB Positive reusable water bottles! Its advantage? It offers transparency close to that of glass, but is much more lightweight and less fragile than glass. Its transparency proves to be practical for day-to-day life (particularly for meal prep or batch cooking sessions: no more need to open up the bento box to see what's inside)! It's available in two sizes:
- MB Gourmet M, with a total capacity of 850 ml (29 floz). This size comes in two versions: One with a transparent lid (Deep Denim), or one with a transparent lid AND container (Crystal). It also includes these two removable containers for organizing your meals in the lunch box, as well as a small divider built into the container which will allow for these containers to be kept in place during transport.
- MB Gourmet L, with a total capacity of 1.1 L (37,2 floz). This generously-sized version is completely transparent. Its tall edges and flat bottom make it ideal for carrying stacked sandwiches or even burgers.
Both versions have a hinge and a bi-injected valve in the lid, so that this leakproof bento box can be microwaved. Plus, it's also freezer- and dishwasher-safe!
The MB Jar: the 1 L transparent bowl
Who said that transporting salads and soups to the office or the park was mission impossible? monbento has come to save the day with its bowl with tall edges, the MB Jar! To make this product robust and sustainable, we've once again called upon our trusted partners in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France to offer you, and professional caterers, a product proudly made in France.
The MB Jar salad on-the-go bowl is made with Tritan™. Its large container (with a total capacity of 1 L - 34 floz) is entirely transparent, to show off your beautiful soups, layered salads or any other high-volume dish.
Its lid has a hinge and a silicone valve, so that the MB Jar can be leakproof AND microwave-safe. It can also go in the dishwasher and freezer with no issues.
Available individually or in the zero-waste set to hold your dry food (pasta, rice, lentils, etc.) bought loose in your local grocery shop, you're going to love this large, travel bowl!
The MB Delight: the 200 ml transparent bowl
A lunch box for the main event? It's a yes from us! So, what about desserts or starters? As foodies ourselves, we've thought of everything! Our amazing design team has created a mini version of the MB Jartransparent bowl, resulting in the MB Delight, which is, of course, made in France!
High edges, a container made with Tritan™, entirely transparent, a capacity of 200 ml (7 floz), a removable seal on the lid to guarantee its leakproof quality… This little transparent bowl is truly perfect for a panna cotta, some grated carrots or even some dried fruit for snacking on mid-morning.
The MB Savor: the 200 ml small box
In the mini version, go for the MB Savor! Does its square format remind you of something? Its design is based on that of the MB Square, with its square shape and tall edges. Its 200 ml (7 floz) capacity is a huge plus for taking a starter to the office or on your picnic (a little salad, some foccacia, etc.), or a snack (some homemade brownie, a few dried apricots, etc.) or even a dessert (a cookie, fruit salad, etc.). The little extra that makes all the difference? Its transparent lid, of course! It even has a steam evacuation valve, for when you put it in the microwave.
As for the materials, we've chosen transparent Tritan™ for its lid, and PP, which is a resistant plastic, for its container.