Our History
1921 – BARNARD SALES CO.
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.
1936 – THE ROAD TO THE VITA-MIX
The Great Lakes Exposition brings the Barnards to Cleveland, Ohio, which they soon decide to call home. Their passion for nutrition inspires them to form a mail-order business selling vitamins and health food. When Papa meets Al Bersted – an enterprising engineer and maker of blenders – he has an “aha” moment, realising that blenders may hold the secret to sustainable health. The first Vita-Mix is created and marketed as an easy way to make nutritious whole foods taste great. It sold for $11.95.
A Whole-Food Health Pioneer
From the start, Vitamix® was rooted in whole-food nutrition. Although much has changed since 1921, our focus on better living through health and wellness holds strong.
Where It All Began
The Barnards’ passion for whole-food nutrition was born after discovering a natural solution for a family member’s chronic illness. They became vegetarians and cut sugar and caffeine from their diets. After seeing the benefits from this lifestyle change, they were believers in the power of whole foods.
Committing to Nutrition
By the late 1930s, the Barnards had made promoting healthy eating their life’s work. Their mail-order health food and vitamin business grew into the Natural Foods Institute. And when Papa recognised that a powerful blender could make healthy foods taste great, the Vita-Mix was created – and also sold in the family store.
Advocating for Whole Foods
In 1937, Papa Barnard published a book citing natural foods as a cure for many common diseases. In the ’40s and beyond, Ruth Barnard worked tirelessly to develop recipes rich in core vitamins. During the diet crazes of the ’80s and ’90s, Vitamix worked to educate the public about the difference between calories and nutrition. Today, the Vitamix Foundation pursues the elimination of diet-driven illness through the consumption of plant-based whole foods.
Innovating for Better Health
Unsurprisingly, the single greatest way Vitamix has committed to whole-food health is through the continuous innovation of next-generation blending machines. Through industry-leading design and engineering, whole-food nutrition is made easy, efficient, and delicious for people at home, in professional kitchens, and beyond.
Vitamix® Through the Years
From the very first at-home blending machine to expansions into commercial
kitchens to our latest innovations, here’s a look at the evolution of the Vitamix®.
1937
The Vita-Mix
The original Vita-Mix joined a crowded market and was sold as a revolutionary health machine for $11.95 – $12.95 with a stainless steel container.
1950
The Mark 20
“Ten machines in one,” this classic featured two speeds to liquefy, blend, freeze, grind, make baby food, and more. Many still work today and are sold secondhand on eBay.
1969
The Vita-Mix 3600
A powerful machine with multiple speeds and forward and reverse directions, it stood apart from other blenders and dominated the consumer market through the 1980s.
