The Waring Heritage: Over 70 Years of Manufacturing

Commercial Quality, High-Performance Products for the Kitchen

--March 01, 2009

The Waring Heritage: Over 70 Years of Manufacturing

 Commercial Quality, High-Performance Products for the Kitchen

Waring, universally known for introducing the first blender to American consumers, is one of today's leading manufacturers of professional quality, small appliances for the home, foodservice, hospitality and laboratory industries. The company was acquired on May 9, 1998 by Conair Corporation, which also owns Cuisinart. Waring has a manufacturing plant in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Waring manufactures kitchen appliances in two product segments: Waring Pro™, a line of professional quality consumer products that includes blenders, juice extractors, citrus juicers, food slicers, drink mixers, a waffle maker, toaster and a deep fryer; and the Commercial Division, which services the foodservice and laboratory industries.

The Waring Heritage

Waring's roots date back to 1936 when an inventor named Fred Osius approached Fred Waring, a popular entertainer of the 1930's, 40's and 50's, with his latest invention. Osius was seeking support for a new mixer that would "revolutionize people's eating habits." Waring, who had just finished a radio broadcast in New York's Vanderbilt Theater, was intrigued with the concept of a mixer such as the one Osius described, and he agreed to back the new product, even when the prototype failed to work the first time.

Six months and $25,000 later, the prototype still didn't work. However, Waring's background as a mechanical engineer kept him enthusiastic and ultimately he helped perfect the final product. With his support, the engineering and production problems were solved in time to introduce the new "Miracle Mixer" (as it was then called) at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago in 1937. The Waring Blendor® name was adopted shortly thereafter, and in 1938, the product was officially renamed the Waring Blender.                     

New Innovations Spur Sales through the Decades

World War II temporarily halted blender production, but in 1946 Waring sales took off again as consumer demand grew. Product innovations continued with the introduction of color-coordinated blenders with solid-state controls, and attachments that crushed ice and ground coffee. In the 1950's, new uses for the blender were constantly emerging, including applications in research laboratories. In fact, Dr. Jonas Salk used a Waring blender with an aseptic dispersal container attachment to develop his lifesaving polio vaccine.  In 1956, Waring became part of the Dynamics Corporation of America. During the late 1960's and 1970's, design and engineering breakthroughs by Waring led to the creation of a more versatile blender that was more efficient and widely affordable. While maintaining its leadership position in the blender market, Waring capitalized on its strong brand recognition and expanded its product line with a broad range of fine-quality kitchen appliances, such as hand mixers, an automatic citrus juicer and the Waring Ice Cream Parlor®. In 1977, amid the continued success of its blender and other product lines, Waring purchased a 72,000-square-foot facility in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.  

Waring Diversifies with New Kitchen Electrics

Fred Waring died in 1984, but his vision for a top quality blender lived on as Waring continued to manufacture an innovative line of top performance blenders for the home and for commercial use. That same year, Waring's acquisition of the Acme Juicer Manufacturing Company gave the company a leading position in juicers for the health food industry. Waring continued to diversify its product line with the Waring Vortex Blenders and the Under Cabinet Blendor®/Can Opener. In 1985, the company created two new product divisions - Waring Pro™ and the Commercial Division.

Waring kicked off the new millennium with a host of new products, building on its strong position in the kitchen electrics market. In the past few years, the company has broadened its market reach with everything from deep fryers, food slicers, and waffle makers to a convection oven, an ice crusher, an ice maker, and wine chillers. The company has also unveiled a new look in its blender collection with the Waring Pro® RPM blender, featuring vintage styling taken directly from Waring's 1947 blender design archives. In 2007, Waring launched the company's first electric martini maker and professional induction cooktop, which brings the benefits of flameless cooking to the kitchen.

In 2008, Waring entered three new categories for the company with two popcorn makers, a yogurt maker and a cordless wine opener. Looking ahead, Waring is well positioned to continue its legacy of professional performance by offering new products that reflect the company's commercial heritage, while incorporating technology and innovations in design.

For more information on Waring products, contact: Rachel Litner, Rachel Litner Associates,

at (973) 994-5167 or rachel@rlitner.com, or visit www.waringproducts.com.

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