Nordic Ware: a Well-Known Name in Minnesota and Around the World

Courtesy of Nordic Ware
Courtesy of Nordic Ware

This story is sponsored by Nordic Ware.

Nordic Ware is a family-owned, American manufacturer of kitchenware products. Celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2016, this local company manufactures and markets an extensive line of quality cookware, bakeware, microwave and grilling products, and kitchen tools and accessories that is distributed worldwide.

Courtesy of Nordic Ware
Courtesy of Nordic Ware

You can find many of the products in the Nordic Ware line at the Nordic Ware Factory Store, adjacent to Nordic Ware’s corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in St. Louis Park. The Factory Store is frequented by home cooks, chefs, and restaurant owners and features a large collection of Nordic Ware’s first-quality products as well as factory closeouts and irregulars. It is home to a contemporary demonstration kitchen, where Nordic Ware hosts cooking and baking classes. In the classes, local chefs, cookbook authors, and experienced cooking instructors demonstrate cooking and baking techniques, sampling delicious recipes and featuring Nordic Ware products. Class information can be found at the store or on the Factory Store page of the Nordic Ware website.

Courtesy of Nordic Ware
Courtesy of Nordic Ware

An inspirational American success story, Nordic Ware was founded in 1946 by a determined wife, Dotty, and her resourceful husband, Dave, newly returned from service in World War II. With only $500 in their pockets, a few good ideas, and a desire to create a business of their own, they launched a humble kitchenware company from the basement of their home in Minneapolis. At the beginning, Nordic Ware’s product line consisted of only a handful of items, all of which were specialty Scandinavian cookware products — the rosette iron, krumkake iron, platte panne pan, and the ebelskiver pan.

Brenda Johnson / Heavy Table
Brenda Johnson / Heavy Table

Undoubtedly, Nordic Ware’s most famous item is the Bundt® pan, which can be found in over 70 million households around the world. Introduced in the early 1950s, the Bundt pan rose to worldwide fame when it was used to bake a prize-winning cake in the 1966 17th annual Pillsbury Bake-Off. Baker Ella Helfrich used a Bundt pan for her winning recipe, Tunnel of Fudge Cake. After the bake-off, Pillsbury received more than 200,000 requests for help finding the Bundt pans. In 1971, Pillsbury introduced a line of Bundt cake mixes that continued the nationwide quest for Bundt pans. Pillsbury has since stopped selling Bundt cake mixes, but Nordic Ware now produces a line of gourmet cake mixes. As the pan found its way into the hearts and homes of people everywhere, the Bundt cake became the quintessential American dessert, one that’s become a tradition for countless gatherings and family celebrations. In recognition of its 60th anniversary, the Bundt pan was given American icon status in the Smithsonian Institution, and each year, on November 15, we celebrate National Bundt Day. Bundt is a registered trademark of Nordic Ware, a division of Northland Aluminum Products. It is one of the most recognized brand names in the bakeware industry and likely the most popular baking mold in the world.

Courtesy of Nordic Ware
Courtesy of Nordic Ware

Nordic Ware is still proudly manufacturing the vast majority of its products in Minneapolis. The company employs more than 300 people and is still family-owned and operated, with three generations involved in the business. It has more than 200,000 square feet of manufacturing, assembly, and distribution facilities. Those original Scandinavian products have been joined by hundreds of other items in Nordic Ware’s product offering, and each year the company adds innovative items to its expansive kitchenware line. Nordic Ware is also a pioneer in microwave cookware, and the microwave product line now includes more than 50 accessories. Today, two out of three American households own and use Nordic Ware products.

More information on Nordic Ware and on the Nordic Ware Factory Store can be found on the Nordic Ware website at www.nordicware.com.

Courtesy of Nordic Ware
Courtesy of Nordic Ware