1921

Barnard Sales Company

William Grover Barnard, affectionately known as "Papa Barnard," starts a company selling household products through demonstration. He finds early success selling the 25-cent Polly Can Opener, which gave people safer and easier access to healthy foods year-round.

1937

Natural Foods Institute

Papa Barnard renames the company to Natural Foods Institute to better align with their evolving focus on whole-food nutrition. After spending two summers demonstrating at the Great Lakes Exposition, Papa and his son William G.

"Bill" Barnard, Jr.'s biggest takeaway was the introduction to the blender and a love for the city of Cleveland and its people.

1939

Introducing the Vitamix

As their business grew, Papa and Bill opened the first Natural Foods Institute store at 807 Saint Clair Ave in Cleveland, OH. In addition to a variety of health food products, the store offered health lectures, and demonstrations of their newest product the Vitamix, which they advertised for $13.95.

1949

First Infomercial

Bill Barnard convinces his father to air a first-of-its-kind, half-hour infomercial on WEWS in Cleveland, taking their message to a larger audience. They needed to sell 18 Vitamix machines to break even on the ad cost. That night, they sold more than 400.

1966

Introduction to High-Performance Blending

To reflect its renewed focus on blending, the company changes its name to The Vita Mix Corporation. Two years later, in as a way to differentiate from the competition, the company introduces the first blade reversal machine, the Sidewinder™. The company fully emerged into the high-performance blending category with the introduction of the Vitamix 3600 in 1970.

1992

The Birth of the Modern Vitamix

Vitamix launched the Drink Machine™, the first true commercial-grade blender on the market, later introducing the Total Nutrition Center® to the household market. Designed with durability, reliability, and performance in mind, these machines surpassed any blending product that came before them and continue to be the foundation of Vitamix innovation.

1995

Global Expansion

Vitamix established the first commercial international account in 1995, followed by a network of distributors in countries where foodservice chains were expanding. Today Vitamix products are available in more than 130 countries around the world, thanks to partnerships with over 30 household international distributors and 125 commercial distributors.

2010

Performance that Inspires

Challenged with creating a blender that does not distract from an ambient experience, Vitamix introduces the quietest high-performance blender on the market, The Quiet One®, named for its best-in-class sound reduction technology. Vitamix also unveiled a new brand name, company logo, tagline, and advertising campaign that reflected their ongoing commitment to provide performance that inspires.

2016

Ascent Launch

Vitamix launched the Ascent® Series, the first blending products to leverage Near Field Communication (NFC). Marking a significant leap in blender technology and unlocking new possibilities by making the Vitamix base even more versatile.

2021

Milestone Anniversary

After a hundred years and four generations of Barnard family leadership, Vitamix is still a privately owned family business committed to nourishing our world by crafting superior solutions that empower people to improve their health and well-being.

2024

Best in Class Performance

Vitamix continues its legacy of best-in-class performance with the introduction of their most advanced household blenders, the Ascent® X Series. For the commercial market, Vitamix expanded their product portfolio with the Quick & Quiet™ and Immersi-Prep™ Series, unlocking new possibilities for chefs and restaurant chains.