You might wonder who makes the goods you’re purchasing, how well-known is the company, and what is its standing in the kitchen goods industry. I’ve started this page to help you get to know more about the origins of different brands of cookware and kitchen goods for a more informed choice when buying that new or replacement item for your kitchen.
So who’s behind the brand name? I’ve done some research, here’s what I’ve discovered around the main details…
All-Clad
Makers of stainless steel cookware.
| Headquarters: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Founded: 1967 Current owner: Groupe SEB is the parent company. Manufacturing location/s: USA and China |
All-Clad has its HQ in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. John Ulam founded it in 1967. It now comes under the umbrella of Groupe SEB.
Steel to make their products come partly from US suppliers, e.g., Pennsylvania Steel Company. China makes their nonstick pots and pans while Canonsburg factories produce the stainless steel cookware.
Blue Diamond
A non-stick cookware brand.
| Headquarters: Drongen, Belgium Founded: 2004 Current owner: The Cookware Company Manufacturing location/s: Italy, South Korea, China, and Germany. |
Blue Diamond cookware is owned by the same company that owns GreenPan, GreenLife, and KitchenAid, i.e., The Cookware Company, which has its HQ in Drongen, Belgium and production facilities in South Korea, China, Germany, and Italy.
Jan Helskens, Wim De Veirman and Sam Liu founded the company in 2004.
The Cookware Company’s USA office is in New York. Their Australian office is in Melbourne, Victoria.
Contact email is [email protected].
Farberware
| Headquarters: Needham, Massachusetts Founded: 1886 Current owner: Meyer Corporation Manufacturing location/s: China, Brazil, and the US |
Meyer Corporation has owned Farberware since 1997. The original company was founded over a century ago in 1899. An immigrant, Simon Farber started the company selling matches in Manhattan. The company expanded into pots and pans during the 1940s.
Farberware’s premium items are made in the USA, but you may find that the majority of their goods are made in China.
Caraway Home
| Headquarters: New York, New York Founded: 2019 Current owner: Caraway Home Inc. Manufacturing location/s: China |
Caraway is a private company with its HQ in New York, New York. This direct-to-customer brand launched their first collection of ceramic-coated cookware in November 2019. The brand includes bakeware as well as cookware that come with storage holders.
Products are made in China.
Founder and CEO of Caraway Home kitchen goods is Jordan Nathan, according to Linkedin (at date of writing).
Contact: [email protected]
Caphalon
| Headquarters: Perrysburg, Ohio Founded: 1963 Current owner: Newell Brands Manufacturing location/s: USA and China |
Ronald M. Kasperzak founded Caphalon in 1963. Its original name was Commercial Aluminum Cookware. It is a US company with HQ in Atlanta. A selected nonstick line, Calphalon Elite, is made in the US. Their stainless steel and cast iron products along with bakeware, small appliances, and knives are made in China.
Newell Brands purchased it in 1998.
Cuisinart
| Headquarters: Stamford, Connecticut Founded: 1971 Current owner: Conair Corporation Manufacturing location/s: China |
Conair Corporation is the parent company of Cuisinart, acquiring it in 1989. Carl Sontheimer founded it in 1971. It was incorporated in 1973.
Most of their goods are made in China. I’m unaware of any made in the USA.
The US headquarters are in Stamford, Connecticut.
Cook N Home
| Headquarters: California Founded: ~2007 Current owner: Neway International Housewares Manufacturing location/s: China and Hong Kong |
The Cook N Home brand is owned by Neway International Housewares, which is located in California.
Neway appears to import its goods from Guangdong Deluxe Metal Products Co Ltd among various other Chinese and Hong Kong suppliers.
Emile Henry
| Headquarters: Marcigny, Burgundy Founded: 1850 Current owner: The Henry Family Manufacturing location/s: Marcigny, Burgundy |
Emile Henry is a long standing company, founded in 1850. The brand is known for pure ceramic cookware, which they make in Marcigny, Burgundy. The USA Emily Henry headquarters is in New York.
GreenPan
| Headquarters: Drongen, Belgium Founded: 2004 Current owner: The Cookware Company Manufacturing location/s: Italy, South Korea, China, and Germany. |
GreenPan is the original brand of the Cookware Company, which also has Blue Diamond, GreenLife, and KitchenAid, among others that are sold in the USA.
GreenPan market several modern designs in the nonstick cookware range. I cover several here.
GreenPan’s USA office is in New York.
Contact: [email protected]
GreenLife
| Headquarters: Drongen, Belgium Founded: 2004 Current owner: The Cookware Company Manufacturing location/s: Italy, South Korea, China, and Germany. |
See GreenPan and Blue Diamond (a brand of the same companies as these).
Hamilton Beach
| Headquarters: Glen Allen, Virgina, USA Founded: 1910 Current owner: Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company Manufacturing location/s: China since ~2000 |
The Hamilton Beach is a company started in 1910 with the inventor and founder, Frederick J. Osius, naming the company after two prominent workers, Louis Hamilton and Chester Beach.
It is now a public company owned by Hamilton Beach Brands Holding.
KitchenAid
| Headquarters: Michigan USA Founded: 1919 Current owner: Whirlpool (appliances) / Meyer Corporation Manufacturing location/s: China |
KitchenAid is a US company founded in 1919 by Clarence Hobart who started a manufacturing company to make coffee mills and meat grinders. The stand mixers came later, in 1908. Today they have a variety of popular stand mixers that include bread making options.
Dart & Kraft bought the company in 1985.
Whirlpool Corporation owns the appliance side of the business today while partnering with Meyer Corporation with the cookware and bakeware component.
KitchenAid stainless steel goods are made in China.
Kyocera
| Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan Founded: 1959 Current owner: Kyocera Corporation Manufacturing location/s: Japan |
Kyocera was founded by Kazuo Inamori in 1959. Previously known as Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd, it is now Kyocera Corporation, a public company that also makes mobile phones and office equipment.
Kyocera (key-O-Sarah) considers itself the world’s largest and highest quality manufacturer of advanced ceramic knives.
Its manufacturing facilities are in Sendai, southwest Japan.
Le Creuset
| Headquarters: Fresnoy Le Grand, France Founded: 1925 Current owner: Paul van Zuydam Manufacturing location/s: Europe and Thailand |
Le Creuset is a private cookware company founded in 1925 in the village of Fresnoy Le Grand, France. It is known for its enamelled French oven or cocotte (similar to a Dutch oven), created by the Belgian industrialists, Armand Desaegher and Octave Aubecq.
You pronounce it this way: “Leh Crew-ZAY”. Supposedly the name means “the crucible” in French.
The company is owned by Paul van Zuydam, a South African of Durban who acquired it in 1988. Its administrative headquarters are in Switzerland remain in Fresnoy-le-Grand, France.
Europe is where Le Creuset manufactures its cookware. The company handcrafts its main (enameled cast iron) products in France. It produces its stainless steel range in Portugal. While Thailand is the place of stoneware manufacture and certain accessories come from China.
The brand is considered a premium or luxury line of cookware and so you expect to pay more for this line of kitchen goods.
Website: www.lecreuset.com.
Lodge
| Headquarters: South Pittsburg, Tennessee Founded: 1896 Current owner: The Lodge Family Manufacturing location/s: South Pittsburg, Tennessee |
Lodge makes some of the best cast iron cookware and it is made in the USA and has been since 1896 when founded by Joseph Lodge. The company operates manufacturing facilities in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. It’s a 5th-generation owned establishment. Yes Lodge is owned by the Lodge family still (at time of writing).
Made In
| Headquarters: South Pittsburg, Tennessee Founded: 2017 Current owner: original founders Manufacturing location/s: USA, France, and Italy |
The Made In cookware company started in 2017. It’s a venture-capital-backed business, co-founded by Jake Kalick, Adam Bridegan, and Chip Malt. Jake is the current president of the company.
I wrote how Made In has this 5-ply premium stainless-steel cookware that comes with a lifetime warranty.
Many Made In items are made in the USA (hence why the name I imagine).
Some pieces are made in France and Italy. For example their copper cookware sets are crafted in France.
The company is based in Austin, Texas, USA.
Misen
| Headquarters: Brooklyn, NY, USA Founded: 2015 Current owner: original founder Where Misen products are made: China |
Misen is a private kitchenware company with headquarters in New York City, NY, USA. It was founded by Omar Rada in 2015 and is another venture-capital-backed business. Misen’s products are made in China.
Pronounced: “Mee-Zen”.
Rachael Ray
| Headquarters: New York Founded: ~mid 2000s Current owner: Meyer Corporation Manufacturing location/s: US, China, Italy, and Thailand |
Meyer Corporation owns Rachael Ray cookware with factories in the US, China, Italy, and Thailand. The cookware takes its name from US celebrity chef Rachael Domenica Ray.
Staub
| Headquarters: Alsace, France Founded: 1874 Current owner: Zwilling J. A Henckels Manufacturing location/s: France |
Cookware of this brand started in France at a place called Alsace. Francis Staub established the brand in 1974 and Staub products are made in France still today.
T-fal
| Headquarters: Rumily, Haute-Savoie, France Founded: 1956 Current owner: Groupe SEB Manufacturing location/s: France |
This is a French brand. The subsidiary is Tefal with the cookware sold under this name in other countries of the world while it is marketed as T-Fal in the USA, Canada, and Japan.
Tefal takes its name from Teflon and Aluminium and was founded in 1956 by Marc Grégoire. Tefal says it manufacturers most of its cookware in its factories in France. It’s not entirely clear if all T-fal are manufactured there. There’s some indication of China as a source of some of its cookware.
Tramontina
| Headquarters: Carlos Barbosa, Brazil. Founded: 1911 Current owner: Tramontina Inc. Manufacturing location/s: Italy and Brazil |
Tramontina is another private company that makes kitchen and tableware. Its headquarters is in Carlos Barbosa, Brazil. Valentin Tramontina and his wife founded the brand, which made its way into the US inn 1986.
Vremi
| Headquarters: New York City Founded: 2010 Current owner: Vremi LLC Manufacturing location/s: China and Taiwan |
Jordan Nathan was the CEO of Vremi from 2016–2018, prior to starting the Caraway Home company (according to his LinkedIn). Vremi started in 2010 in Orlando, Florida (Source).
Xtrema
Xtrema facilities are based in Southern China, where the art of ceramics began tens of thousands of years ago.
| Headquarters: Hagerstown, Maryland, USA Founded: 2004 Current owner: Richard Bergstrom Manufacturing location/s: China |
Xtrema are known for their 100% ceramic cookware options sold in the USA. They also sell ceramic teapots and bakeware.
Xtrema’s headquarters is in Hagerstown, Maryland, USA. It is still privately owned by the founder, Rich Berstrom.
Email: [email protected]
Zwilling
| Headquarters: Solingen, Germany Founded: 1731 Current owner: Zwilling J A Henckels Manufacturing location/s: France, Germany, Belgium, and Japan |
Zwilling is a German brand founded in 1731 by Peter Zwilling. It is best known for its premium knives and stainless steel cookware. J. A Henckels came along in 1818 to open the first trading outlet for Zwilling. Hence the name of the parent company today carries both names.
Staub is a subsidiary of the company. Ruffoni, which is one of the Italian cookware brands I wrote about, is another.
Disclaimer
I’ve put this together with the best available information I could find at the time of writing. Companies expand and change ownership often and I take no responsibility for details that are no longer relevant nor can I guarantee the authenticity of information provided by the relevant database sources.
Information sources
What you’re looking for mightn’t be here. For company information about kitchen and cookware companies, try entering the company name in online databases. Here are some suggestions…