Cuisinart

Cuisinart is an American kitchen appliance and cookware brand. It was founded in 1971 by Carl Sontheimer. Initially the company produced food processors, which were introduced at a food show in Chicago in 1973.[1] The name "Cuisinart" (a portmanteau of "cuisine" and "art") became synonymous with "food processor" to the point where it was a proprietary eponym. Cuisinart was purchased by Conair Corporation in 1989.[2]

History

Cuisinart was founded in 1971 by Carl Sontheimer, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was inspired by his love of French food.[1] This led to the creation of Cuisinarts, Inc. and its main product, the food processor.[3] Cuisinart introduced its machine in January 1973 at a trade show in Chicago, a reworked and rebranded Robot-Coupe / Magimix 1800 food processor for North America in 1973 under the Cuisinart brand. This was as America's first home kitchen food processor.[4] The success of Cuisinart was limited at first, until a review in Gourmet magazine helped to lift sales.[1] Later, Sontheimer contracted with a Japanese manufacturer to produce new models in 1977 in order to immediately launch his new Japanese-made food processor in 1980 when his contract with Robot-Coupe expired. Cuisinart continued to sell both the Japanese-sourced new machines and the original French-sourced machines for a time.[5]

Throughout the mid-1970s, Cuisinart sales rose due to the brand's association with celebrity chefs such as James Beard, a close friend of Sontheimer.[1] Sales in 1980 were stated at 290,000 units.[5] Cuisinart hired industrial designer Marc Harrison in the 1970s to design new products and improve other existing designs; many of the company's products became associated with universal design.[6] Harrison made its products more functional for users with disabilities, designing larger fonts so that people with vision problems could see them.[7]

By the mid-to-late 1980s, Cuisinart incurred financial troubles and suffered from falling sales. A group of investors bought Sontheimer's interest in the company in 1987 for $42 million.[1] However, by August 1989, the company filed for bankruptcy.[8] This led to Conair buying the company for $27 million in 1989.[2]

Legal troubles with Robot-Coupe

In the late 1970s, a legal dispute between Robot-Coupe and Cuisinart began when Robot-Coupe started marketing home food processors in the US under their own brand name.[9] Robot-Coupe hired Alvin Fineman, Cuisinart's former marketing director in 1979,[9] as president.[5] They engaged in competitive advertisements which specifically named Cuisinart; this resulted in a lawsuit. A US federal court enjoined Robot-Coupe from continuing that particular ad, so Fineman's campaign changed to "There are many food processors made in Japan. The original is still made in France."[8]

Products

Products produced under the Cuisinart brand include:

• Air fryers
• Bakeware
• Handheld and standing blenders
• Bread machines
• Countertop blenders
• Brick ovens
• Can openers
• Coffeemakers
• Coffee grinders
• Convection ovens
• Cookware
• Cutlery
• Cutting boards
• Deep fryers
• Dutch ovens
• Espresso makers
• Food processors
• Grills, griddles
• Hand mixers
• Ice cream and sorbet makers
• Juice extractors
• Kettles
• Microwave ovens
• Popcorn makers
• Raclettes
• Rice cookers
• Scales
• Slow cookers
• Speciality appliances
• Stand mixers
• Toasters
• Toaster oven broilers
• Waffle makers