Bruynzeel was founded in 1897 as Stoomtimmerfabriek in Rotterdam by Cornelis Bruynzeel Sr. producing wooden floorboards, wood shaving products, and school desks. In 1948 the company was asked by the Dutch government to supply pencils, which evolved into the production of other writing, hobby and office supplies.
Bruynzeel has since continued to develop and innovate, their ethos being that every drawing is an expression of imagination, that should be shared with the world.