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Vita Craft Corporation is a manufacturer of multi-ply 
stainless steel
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
cookware and other cookware products. The cookware is manufactured and sold in the United States, but the majority of sales are from the Asian and European markets. Japan alone accounts for about 80% of Vita Craft's revenue. In Asia and Europe, Vita Craft is sold in department stores. In the United States, Vita Craft is sold door-to-door, at food-related events and conventions using a direct selling model. Imura International USA Inc. is the parent company of Vita.
History and focus
The company was founded in 1939 after research and development by two cookware specialists fromSeattle University
Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate prog ...
and University of Wisconsin. The company was purchased in 2002 by the owner of their Japanese distributor, Mamoru Imura is a Japanese inventor, music composer, and Chief Executive Officer of Vita Craft Corporation and Vita Craft Japan who currently resides in Nishinomiya, Japan.
Biography
Mamoru attended the Osaka University of Foreign Studies for roughly a ye ...
, and Imura International USA became Vita's parent company.
Vita Craft's cookware is stainless steel with an aluminum core. The "vapor seal" lids are designed to prevent heat and moisture from escaping when the lid is secured, which results in "waterless" cooking. According to the company, waterless cooking requires less heat and less pressure, while more vitamins and minerals are retained in the food. In addition, some pans are manufactured with multiple layers of metal to distribute heat more evenly in cooking.
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.
Lawsuit
In November 2017 Imura International USA Inc, the parent company of Vita, filed a lawsuit accusing Circuitlab Inc of infringing on its patents for cookware that can communicate with the stove it is cooking on to control the temperature automatically. Imura says it holds four patents for this technology.Bankruptcy
On November 1, 2019, Vita Craft Corp. filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...
, listing assets up to $7,843,679 and debts up to $2,698,042. 2018 revenue was stated to be $3.34 million, which was a decrease of 36% from 2017 revenue of $5.21 million.
See also
*RFIQin
RFIQin, also referred to as RFIQ, is a patented automatic cooking device that consists of three different sized pans, a portable induction heater, and recipe cards, which is designed by Vita Craft Corporation, but is currently only sold in Japan ...
, an automatic induction cooking
Induction cooking is performed using direct induction heating of cooking vessels, rather than relying on indirect radiation, convection, or thermal conduction. Induction cooking allows high power and very rapid increases in temperature to be ach ...
system.
References
{{Reflist American companies established in 1939 Manufacturing companies established in 1939 Manufacturing companies based in Kansas 1939 establishments in Kansas Goods manufactured in the United States Kitchenware brands