Everyone can remember a Zanussi Professional appliance in the backdrop at one time in their life.
From a hand-made, wood-burning oven produced in a corner of Italy
to more than six million units sold each year;
Zanussi Professional is a company that has earned consumer trust
through its cutting-edge design, innovation and outstanding quality over the last 100 years.
The Zanussi Professional story dates back to Pordenone, Italy, in 1916, when Antonio Zanussi, a young oven repair worker, opened Officina Fumisteria Antonio Zanussi.
The small 30 m² laboratory with three members of staff soon expanded and by 1936 it covered an area of 300 m² and employed one hundred people.
It wasn’t long before the first standard wood-burning range cooker was produced: the magnificent AZP, complete with a cast iron hot plate, which would go on to achieve international success.
The company really took off in 1946, when, thanks to Lino Zanussi (one of Anthony’s sons), it became one of the leading manufacturers of domestic appliances, employing more than three hundred workers.
The factory enabled the company to bring the first-ever gas cooker into the homes of thousands of European families and is still one of the most important facilities in the domestic appliances world, to this day.
With the 1960s came the era of ‘space age’ and Zanussi Professional’s penetration into homes continued to soar. Innovation in key product categories led to a lion’s share of the domestic appliance market. In 1965, the company started to manufacture dishwashers, immediately becoming the national market leader with a 25% share of that sector.
In 1962, the Model 700 gas cooker won the prestigious Compasso d’Oro design prize and Italy overtook Germany in the production of domestic appliances, with Antonio Zanussi Industries exporting its products to 70 countries.
In 1968, Zanussi Professional bought F. Zoppas SpA, Italy’s second largest manufacturer of electrical, household and catering appliances.
Dating back to 1951, the Zoppas Grandi Cucine division brought a wealth of experience to the company, soon becoming one of its biggest assets and a world-leading specialist.
The Zoppas Grandi Cucine division allowed the company to enter the professional market. In the late 1960s, Zoppas began mass production of professional kitchen equipment, manufacturing large cookers compatible with all types of gas.
Zanussi Professional’s Zoppas Grandi Cucine brand was also responsible for the production of the first convection ovens, introduced in the 1970s. These ovens provided significant increases in productivity and food quality.
In the same years, Zanussi Professional’s gas cooker was launched into family homes, making everyday tasks like boiling water for a well-earned espresso much easier.
Over the next thirty years, this task was propelled into the modern day by induction technology – an instant, controllable and efficient source of heat for boiling water and cooking homemade sauces. Today’s induction hobs by the brand are sleek, stylish and easy to use making the perfect entry-level option to this technology that is still considered by many to be niche.
Zanussi Professional continued to invigorate the category with new technology and quirky designs.
However, the most groundbreaking cooling technology from Zanussi Professional came in the form of ‘TwinTech” a dual cooling system that keeps food fresher for longer. XL storage and Quick Chill functions have also simplified the process of storing the weekly shop.
Just another way that Zanussi Professional makes consumers’ lives easier.
Later on, in 2000, the Food Safe Control function for monitoring the microbiological safety of the cooking process in ovens was introduced.
Flower Flame burner technology was introduced in 2003, an exclusive system that allows the flame to be precisely adjusted to fit any diameter of the pan.
EasySteamPlus T, Zanussi Professional’s new touch technology for ovens, was launched in 2010.
As of 2016, Zanussi Professional products are sold in 70 countries, most recently entering United Arab Emirates. As one of the first white good brands to pioneer a mass-market strategy, it is no surprise that Zanussi Professional is an early adopter, embracing the digital age to engage with consumers at every step of their journey, proving to be a hit with millennials.