The company behind the mills was founded in 1977 by two mechanical engineers, H. Ioannou and G. Zarkadis, under the name Alexander Handmade Mills. Their design traces back to a coffee grinder Greek soldiers carried into the field in the early 20th century, itself adapted from Turkish hand mills, and the steel mechanism still grinds the pepper rather than crushing it, the difference between a mill and a mere smasher. Sold internationally under the Alexander name, the mills go to market in the U.S. as Atlas, a nod to the titan rather than the company's founders. The body is solid brass or copper, hand assembled, meant to be turned by hand for decades.