The Story of West Bend Housewares, LLC
In 1911 a pocketbook manufacturing company burned down, leaving many residents of West Bend, Wisconsin, out of work. Bernhardt C. Zeigler, a local entrepreneur, set out to find a substitute industry for the townspeople. He recruited six other men, who, along with himself, each put down $1,000 to incorporate the West Bend Aluminum Company on September 27, 1911. The first product line consisted of a frying pan, saucepan, pie pan, and water dripper. Ten years later, the Waterless Cooker and Flavo-Drip came to market. The Waterless Cooker's lid had fitted clamps that prevented the release of steam during cooking without the addition of water, and the Flavo-Drip was a drip coffeemaker that did not require filter paper. In 2003 the electrical appliance division of The West Bend Company was acquired by Focus Products Group, LLC, a consumer-products-based holding company. Now known as West Bend Housewares, LLC, the company joins a portfolio that includes AMCO Houseworks, Sensible Storage, Chicago Metallic, OrangeX, Jerdon, and Swing-A-Way. West Bend Housewares, LLC, continues to maintain a multinational reputation for quality products at affordable prices.
West Bend has a 100-year history of creating kitchen memories for American families, spanning generations with innovative products that deliver great performance, quality and value.
