Vita Craft Corporation

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Vita Craft
Type Private
Founded 1939
Headquarters Flag of the United States Shawnee, Kansas, USA
Key people Mamoru Imura, CEO
Industry Cookware
Employees 100[1]
Website www.VitaCraft.com

Vita Craft Corporation is a manufacturer of various cookware products, notably multi-ply (5, 7, and 9 ply) stainless steel cookware.[2] The cookware is manufactured and sold in the United States, but the majority of sales are from the Asian and European markets.[3] In the United States, Vita Craft is sold door-to-door and at food related events and conventions. In Asia and Europe, Vita Craft is sold in department stores.

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[edit] Company history and focus

The company was founded in 1939 after research and development by two cookware specialists from Seattle University and University of Wisconsin. Their goal was to create products that would cook food in a healthy way while preserving the taste.[4] Vita Craft advertises their cookware as healthy because the pans require little oil and are designed with a vapor seal, so no heat or moisture escapes the pan when the lid is secured, which results in waterless cooking.[4] Waterless cooking requires less heat and less pressure, while retaining more vitamins and minerals, than cookware that is not waterless. In addition, the high ply count enables certain pans to cook items like cakes without burning them like stoves often do.[4]

In 1966, Vita Craft Corporation wanted to expand their facilities to the land that housed a jail built in 1843. As a result, a group of citizens formed the Shawnee Historical Society and moved the jail to Shawnee Town, where it stands today.[5]

[edit] Vita Craft Japan

Vita Craft Japan
Type Private
Founded 1974 as Imura & Co., LTD
Headquarters Flag of Japan Motomachi, Kobe, Japan
Key people Mamoru Imura, founder and CEO
Industry Cookware
Website www.VitaCraft.gr.jp

Vita Craft Japan (ビタクラフトジャパン bitakurahutojiyapan?) is not a subsidiary of Vita Craft Corporation, but rather is a separate company, which is the sole importer of Vita Craft stainless steel cookware in Japan. The company, based in Kobe, Japan, was founded in 1974 under the name Imura & Company, LTD, but was renamed to Vita Craft Japan in 2001. Vita Craft products exclusively sold and/or designed under Vita Craft Japan include pressure cookers, Tiger Corporation rice cookers, and various cookware lines and accessories. The company began selling cookware at the flagship Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo and gained further popularity through Suntory Shopping Club sponsored culinary classes and parties.[6] Vita Craft products are currently sold in department stores throughout Japan.[7]

[edit] See also

  • RFIQin, an automatic induction cooking system, which continually monitors the temperature of food and adjusts the heating characteristics accordingly.

[edit] References

  1. ^ David Dinell. "Three Wichita businesses finalists in statewide competition", Wichita Business Journal, 2004-05-26. Retrieved on 2007-03-07. (English) 
  2. ^ Brand Details for Brand Name: Vita Craft Made in U.S.A. (English). Find Owner Search. Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  3. ^ "Valentine Radford takes Vita Craft as new client", Kansas City Business Journal, 2002-03-07. Retrieved on 2007-02-28. (English) ""Vita Craft makes high-end cookware that is largely sold in Japan and parts of Europe." 
  4. ^ a b c 無水調理が出来る鍋, vita craftとは (Japanese). 料理にアケクレ. Translation to English. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  5. ^ Landmarks of Shawnee Coverlet (English). City of Shawnee. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
  6. ^ "Japan's System of Distribution Cited for Trade Friction", Proquest: Los Angeles Times, 2007-12-27. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. "Suntory Shopping Club, created the concept of high-quality cookware in Japan by sponsoring culinary classes and throwing Vita Craft parties." 
  7. ^ ビタクラフト取扱店. Vita Craft Japan. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.