KitchenAid
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| Product type | Kitchenware |
|---|---|
| Owner | Whirlpool Corporation |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1919 by Hobart Corporation |
| Related brands |
Whirlpool Corporation (Appliances) Lifetime Brands Inc (gadgets) Meyer Corporation (cookware & bakeware) |
| Markets | International |
| Previous owners | Hobart Corporation |
| Ambassador(s) |
Whirlpool Corporation (Appliances) Lifetime Brands Inc (gadgets) Meyer Corporation (cookware & bakeware) |
| Tagline | For the way it's made. |
| Website | Official website |
KitchenAid is an American home appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation. The company was started in 1919 by The Hobart Corporation to produce stand mixers; the "H-5" was the first model introduced. The company faced stiff competition as rivals moved into this emerging market, and introduced its trademarked silhouette in the 1930s with the model "K", the work of designer Egmont Arens. The brand's stand mixers have changed little in design since, and attachments from the model "K" onwards are compatible with the modern machines. Dishwashers were the second product line to be introduced, in 1949. A late 1980s promotional campaign on the back of an expansion by retailer Williams-Sonoma saw brand awareness double in three years.
The idea of a stand mixer was formulated by Herbert Johnston, an engineer working at the Hobart Corporation. He had been inspired after seeing a baker mix dough, and thought that there must be a better way of doing the task. In 1914, development began, and soon the model "H" mixer was launched for industrial work. The U.S. Navy ordered mixers for two new Tennessee-class battleships, California and Tennessee, as well as the U.S. Navy's first dreadnought battleship, South Carolina. In 1917, Hobart stand mixers became standard equipment on all U.S. Navy ships, prompting development to begin on the first home models.
The first machine to carry the KitchenAid name was the ten-quart C-10 model, introduced in 1918 and built at Hobart's Troy Metal Products subsidiary in Springfield, Ohio. Prototype models were given to the wives of factory executives, and the product was named when one stated "I don't care what you call it, but I know it's the best kitchen aid I've ever had!" They were initially marketed to the farmhouse kitchen and were available in hardware stores. But owing to the difficulty in convincing retailers to take up the product, the company recruited a mostly female sales force, which sold the mixers door-to-door. The C-10 machine was also marketed heavily toward soda fountains and small commercial kitchens, and was also sold under the FountainAid and BakersAid model names.
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