Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
IndustryHome appliances
FoundedAugust 20, 1945 (1945-08-20) in Madison, Wisconsin, USA
FounderWestye F. Bakke
Brands
  • Sub-Zero
  • Wolf
  • Cove
Websitewww.subzero-wolf.com

Sub-Zero Group, Inc. is a privately-held American company that manufactures and sells luxury kitchen appliances. It sells refrigerators and wine preservation products under the Sub-Zero brand. The company also manufactures kitchen appliances under the Wolf brand and dishwashers under the Cove brand name.[1] Sub-Zero Group is based in Madison, Wisconsin.

History

Wolf logo
Cove logo

Sub-Zero was founded as the Sub-Zero Freezer Company on August 20, 1945 by Westye F. Bakke in Madison, Wisconsin.[2] In 2000, it acquired the domestic appliance line of the Wolf Range Corporation,[3] a California-based manufacturer of professional-style ranges, cooktops and grills for both home and commercial use.

Wolf Appliance Inc., Sub-Zero's corporate companion, expanded the few products acquired from Wolf Range Corporation. It now sells domestic cooking appliances from kitchen stoves, cooktops, wall ovens, warming drawers and ventilation equipment. The company's products compete with those made by Viking, Dacor, Thermador, GE Monogram, KitchenAid, JennAir and Miele.

Innovations

According to the official company history, Bakke invented the first free-standing freezer in 1943.[4][5] It also claims to have been the first to manufacture built-in refrigerators, beginning in the 1950s,[5].

Sub-Zero's wine storage refrigeration can be connected to a household security system. This feature is intended for those with substantial sums invested in their wine collections.[6]

Appliance models

Exterior of a Sub-Zero unit
Control console of a Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero manufactures two series of built-in refrigeration as well as wine storage and under counter units. Each refrigerator model usually comes in two variations, namely a stainless steel exterior or a customizable exterior in an overlay or flush inset version. The customizable option allows the buyer to install kitchen cabinet panels on the door(s) to match with the rest of the kitchen. Its refrigerators are designed with a 24-inch (61 cm) depth and can be installed flush with kitchen cabinets of the same standard depth to provide an integrated look.

The Sub-Zero 424 Wine Cooler has held virtually the same design since the early 1990s. It is the only under-counter wine cooler in its class to be able to keep wine as low as 38 °F (3 °C). It has two temperature zones and can be connected to a house alarm.

A Sub-Zero refrigerator can weigh as much as 800 pounds (360 kg) and require four delivery people to move the refrigerator unit into a kitchen. Most Sub-Zero full-size models are 84 inches (2.1 m) tall and 48 inches (120 cm) wide.[7]

The company has production facilities in Madison, Wisconsin; Phoenix, Arizona; Goodyear, Arizona; Richmond, Kentucky; and Fitchburg, Wisconsin and a forthcoming 400,000 ft² facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa scheduled to open in 2025.

References

  1. ↑ "Discover Our Legendary Appliances | Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Appliances". www.subzero-wolf.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  2. ↑ "Sub-Zero Freezer Company Celebrates 75 Years of Premier American Manufacturing". Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. August 20, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  3. ↑ "History of Sub-Zero and Wolf". Archived from the original on October 6, 2007.
  4. ↑ "How Sub-Zero transformed the kitchen". Sub-Zero Group, Inc. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 "In the Beginning". Sub-Zero, Inc. and Wolf Appliance, Inc. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Sub Zero Wine Cooler Prices and Models". Luxurious Refrigerators. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Adam Green (7 February 2015). "An Overview of Sub-Zero Appliances". Sub Zero and Wolf Co. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
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