Sub-Zero Group, Inc. is a privately held American company that manufactures and sells luxury kitchen appliances. It sells refrigerators and wine preservation products under the Sub-Zero brand. The company also manufactures kitchen appliances under the Wolf brand and dishwashers under the Cove brand name. Sub-Zero Group is based in Madison, Wisconsin.
History
Sub-Zero was founded as the Sub-Zero Freezer Company on August 20, 1945, by Westye F. Bakke in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2000, it acquired the domestic appliance line of the Wolf Range Corporation, a California-based manufacturer of professional-style ranges, cooktops and grills for both home and commercial use.
Wolf Appliance Inc., Sub-Zero's corporate companion, expanded the few products acquired from Wolf Range Corporation. It now sells domestic cooking appliances from kitchen stoves, cooktops, wall ovens, warming drawers and ventilation equipment. The company's products compete with those made by Viking, Dacor, Thermador, GE Monogram, KitchenAid, JennAir and Miele.
Innovations
According to the official company history, Bakke invented the first free-standing freezer in 1943. It also claims to have been the first to manufacture built-in refrigerators, beginning in the 1950s,.
The company has production facilities in Madison, Wisconsin; Phoenix, Arizona; Goodyear, Arizona; Richmond, Kentucky; and Fitchburg, Wisconsin and a forthcoming 400,000 ft<sup>2</sup> facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa scheduled to open in 2025.