It was there, in the growing city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Jacob
Johann Vollrath saw his future in the building of farm implements, steam
engines, cast iron ranges and cooking utensils.
But Vollrath was more than a manufacturer; he was also a
visionary. He knew that in Germany, porcelain enamelware-pots, pans, plates,
cups and other kitchenware produced by coating cast iron with ceramic glaze-was
commonplace. In America, however, such utensils were scarce.
So Jacob, believing there was a need for these tough, durable and
inexpensive products, began manufacturing them. His reasoning proved correct,
and the demand for Vollrath enamelware boomed. By the end of the nineteenth
century, the name "Vollrath" had been stamped or cast into the bottoms of
hundreds of thousands of pots and kettles and the Vollrath name was recognized
across the nation. The enamelware market expanded from home use to some of the
foremost restaurants, hospitals and other institutions in the United States. And
as the needs of the marketplace changed, Vollrath responded by replacing
enamelware with stainless steel and expanding its product offering.
With continual expansion and acquisitions, Vollrath produces an
array of products from stainless steel and aluminum to molded plastics and
fabricated steel for the worldwide foodservice industry and select OEM
customers.
