Bridging Borders One Hooded Nib At A Time

Aurora Pens and its U.S. distributor, Kenro Industries, celebrate major milestones.

- Nicky Pessaroff

In 1919, in an Italy devastated by the most violent and destructive war the world had ever faced, a company called Aurora grew from the rubble of Turin. It sold writing instruments, paper, fine leather goods, and watches. A company with a stellar name, Aurora marked a brilliant renaissance in Italian pen making. Almost 100 years later, Aurora has stormed the shoreline of the United States by continuing to expand the definition of a writing instrument company.

Can a writing instrument company still make all its parts in house? Can it create a factory that doubles as a museum, and can that museum be—in part—a history of written communication as a whole? Can a company come to a foreign shore and create a new generation of collectors? Can it maintain even higher standards of integrity and still lower its price points? If your company’s name is Aurora, and you have a U.S. distribution partner named Kenro with 25 years in the industry, the answer is a clear “Sì.”

Under the leadership of Dr. Cesare Verona, whose family has overseen Aurora for generations, the venerated Italian pen company has experienced a rebirth. In February, Export Manager Linda Di Fonzo flew to New York with Aurora’s nibmaster, Filippo Loghero, and her assistant, Sara Zicari, where she joined her U.S. counterparts at Kenro, including company founder and president, Joel Blumberg. Together, the two teams held events in New York City and at various pen shows, showing off Aurora’s newest revolutionary nib, the Flex-It, which allows writers to apply different levels of pressure for varied lines. PW caught up with Di Fonzo and the Kenro team at the 2017 Los Angeles International Pen Show.