| Sub-Zero Group, Inc. | |
| Industry: | Home appliances |
| Predecessors: | --> |
| Founded: | in Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| Founder: | Westye F. Bakke |
| Successors: | --> |
| Areas Served: | --> |
| Owners: | --> |
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.
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.
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 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 24inches 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. It has two temperature zones and can be connected to a house alarm.
A Sub-Zero refrigerator can weigh as much as and require four delivery people to move the refrigerator unit into a kitchen. Most Sub-Zero full-size models are 84inches tall and 48inches wide.[6]
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.