In short: The kela brand is a German name of kitchen and tableware, born from a broom and brush factory in 1903, that now offers fondue sets, raclette grills and cheese accessories. At Raclette Club, you’ll find it with a Tête de Moine girolle and a fondue burner: two small, precise tools rather than big appliances.
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The kela brand in a nutshell
Behind kela is the company Keck & Lang. According to the brand’s “about” page, Ferdinand Keck and Hugo Lang founded it in 1903 in Stuttgart with seven employees, to make brooms, brushes and then carpet sweepers. The Lang family has stayed at the helm: second generation in 1948, a move to Böhmenkirch in Baden-Württemberg in 1957, third generation in 1988.
The shift toward the kitchen came in 1993 with the creation of its own brand, kelaLine, for the kitchen and bathroom, and the opening of a purchasing office in Hong Kong. kela founded its first foreign subsidiary, kela France, in Nancy in 2008, and now claims more than 2,000 products. On its trade website, the “tabletop cooking” section groups fondue sets, cheese fondues, raclette grills, hot stones and their accessories: that’s the part that interests us.
What sets it apart: a very wide range of everyday items, mostly mid-range, and spare parts sold for some products, such as the blade, spindle and screw of the Luxus girolle according to the manufacturer’s listing. The brand designs in Germany but doesn’t make everything on site: the Luxus girolle is listed as German-made on Amazon.fr, while the VESUV burner is made in China according to a retailer.
Watch
Video: kela1903 on YouTube. Official kela video (2024, in German) tracing the 120 years of the Keck & Lang company in Böhmenkirch.
Video: Kochen mit Genuss on YouTube. A German-language test of a kela Simplon electric fondue set by a cooking channel, a different product from the brand than those in our table.
Video: Tête de Moine AOP, Fromage de Bellelay on YouTube. Video from the Tête de Moine trade association: how to make beautiful rosettes with a girolle. It’s not the kela girolle, but the same type of tool.
Its products at Raclette Club
| Model | Type | Who it’s for | Review | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luxus 77085 girolle (ASIN B0018IC4TS) | 22 cm beech girolle, stainless steel blade | Tête de Moine fans at aperitif time | Read the review | Check the price on Amazon.fr |
| VESUV 63067 fondue burner (ASIN B0018IA47M) | Stainless steel paste burner, 80 g of paste included | Those whose fondue stove has lost its burner | Review coming soon | Check the price on Amazon.fr |
What we think
On paper, kela is the brand of small things that save the evening. The Luxus girolle ticks the Swiss aperitif boxes: beech board, stainless steel blade, rubber feet so it doesn’t go wandering across the table, and spare parts in the catalog. The VESUV burner does exactly what you expect from a burner: an adjustable flame, a lid that doubles as a snuffer and paste included for the first fondue. Nothing spectacular, but it’s often what’s missing on the night the caquelon (fondue pot) is already on the table.
The limits mostly come down to the listings. For the girolle, the Amazon.fr title mentions a lid that the description says is sold separately: check before you buy. For the burner, burn time varies by source (one hour at kela, longer on a comparison site) and dishwasher safety is only stated by one retailer. And anyone looking for a kela raclette grill won’t find one in our selection yet: the brand sells them, but we don’t feature any for now.
Which model should you choose?
- For Tête de Moine at aperitif time: the Luxus 77085 girolle and its rosettes. Other models are in our essential raclette accessories and our boards and platters.
- To get a fondue stove working again: the VESUV 63067 burner, to compare with the fondue pots (caquelons) and stoves in our comparison of fondue pots.
- For a complete meal: traditional raclette as the main dish, Tête de Moine rosettes as an aperitif, and chocolate and fruit raclette to finish.
Frequently asked questions
What is the warranty on kela products?
The Amazon.fr listing for the Luxus 77085 girolle states a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. For other items, check the warranty on the product page or with the seller.
Can you buy spare parts for a kela girolle?
Yes for the Luxus 77085 girolle: kela lists a spare blade, spindle and screw on its product page, each with its own reference.
Where can you buy kela products in France?
On Amazon.fr, where both items on this page are sold, and at kitchenware retailers. kela also has a French subsidiary, kela France, based in Nancy.
