Bjarne Nielsen is probably the only Diplomat ever to enter the pipe business. Nielsen holds a MBA degree from the University of Copenhagen. Having specialized in Foreign Trade he joined the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs after graduation. As a Commercial Counselor his main task was to assist Danish companies regardless of trade to export more and to find importers/agents throughout the world.

Even though he loved his job and especially the security with a check at the end of each month Bjarne Nielsen felt there was too much red tape and that he earned the same regardless of working 20, 40 or 60 hours per week. For several years he had a dream of starting his own business. From his job Bjarne Nielsen knew that the demand from the American market for Freehands was bigger than the supply. Being a pipe smoker since he was 16 years old Nielsen was convinced that it would be no "big deal" making Freehands and in 1973 he decided to leave the Foreign Service and started his own company.

For the first years Bjarne Nielsen supplied nothing but Freehands for the U.S. market but gradually he employed more pipe makers and they started also making more classical shapes.

Today after 30 years bjarne pipes ltd supplies besides FREEHANDS also CLASSICAL SHAPES incl. GIANTS, LADY PIPES and CHURCHWARDENS as well as the top of the cream the Bjarne Nielsen Signature range with hand cut mouthpieces. Each and every bjarne and Bjarne Nielsen pipe is made on a lathe and as a consequence they are all 100% hand made individual one of a kind.