4 Refrigerator Brands That Are Actually Owned By Whirlpool

When you're buying appliances from Costco or Lowe's, it's a common assumption that each individual brand is completely separate. This isn't an unwise thought — after all, the different logos, features, and designs very clearly set each appliance apart — but the truth is a bit more complicated. Behind the scenes, large corporations have been snapping up smaller brands for decades. 

One such example is Whirlpool, one of the most trustworthy and reliable appliance brands out there. While the Whirlpool corporation had humble beginnings, it now boasts a hefty portfolio that includes Amana, KitchenAid, Maytag, and JennAir, among others. Of course, it's also still the owner of the original Whirlpool brand.

New corporate ownership doesn't typically mean full absorption. While the brand maintains its look and the attributes that set it apart from others, it now exists under an umbrella of other corporate acquisitions. The smaller business get an immediate financial payout, increased access to a global market, and a more secure future path, while the corporation gets a boost in reputation and a new stream of revenue. In many cases, the shift in ownership is only abundantly apparent to employees and shareholders, leaving customers shocked once they realize that multiple of their favorite brands actually fall under the same umbrella. So how did we get here? Let's take a look at some of Whirlpool's staggering number of appliance brands and break down exactly how they're connected.

Amana has been around since 1934. Originally founded in Middle Amana, Iowa, this company has been an innovator in the world of refrigeration and food preparation for almost a century. Inventions under its belt include the upright freezer, the side-by-side refrigerator, the bottom-freezer refrigerator, and the first microwave for consumer purchase. While it's not as big of a brand as, say, LG or GE, it's clear it has a long history of creativity and invention — something that would be a very valuable asset to a corporation like Whirlpool.

In 2001, Maytag acquired Amana's large appliance and microwave oven sectors in an attempt to strengthen its share in the refrigeration market. Once 2006 rolled around, however, Whirlpool acquired Maytag in its entirety — including Amana. Since then, Whirlpool has expanded business and manufacturing operations within the company, growing its overall size and level of production. Rather than moving overseas, however, Amana's operations remained primarily U.S.-based, a core tenant that many Whirlpool-owned brands share.

KitchenAid is one of the most popular appliance brands out there — especially when it comes to the world of stand mixers — so many people are surprised to hear that it's actually a part of the Whirlpool corporation. KitchenAid was founded in 1919, and its first commercially available product was, of course, a stand mixer. Once the late '40s rolled around, it began expanding more into other appliances, starting out with a dishwasher. Over the years, it's gained a reputation for quality and style, producing products that both look good and last for decades.

KitchenAid was actually one of Whirlpool's earlier acquisitions. After bouncing around between a couple different owners, Whirlpool picked up KitchenAid from Dart & Kraft in 1986 for $150 million. Nowadays, it brings in an estimated $393.6 million of revenue each year, so it's safe to say that this was a solid investment on Whirlpool's part. While KitchenAid is obviously a major player in the small appliance world, it also helps to strengthen Whirlpool's involvement in the large kitchen appliance game, refrigerators included.

Maytag is a major name in the home appliance world, once boasting its own portfolio of smaller brands that it had acquired over the years, so many are surprised to see that it's actually a part of Whirlpool nowadays. First founded in 1893 as a farm tool manufacturing company, it gradually transitioned into home appliances. As a way to make ends meet in the slow season, the company began producing washing machines in 1907, and the rest was history. Washers and dryers were Maytag's bread and butter for decades, but it would routinely experiment with different appliances, producing its first refrigerators in 1989.

As we've learned, in 2006, Whirlpool purchased Maytag. The deal was made for a whopping $2.6 billion, factoring in the value of both stock and debt included in the package. This cost wasn't just for the Maytag name, though — the company's owned assets included JennAir and Amana as well, which helped to greatly expand the corporation's market share in the appliance space.

JennAir wasn't always involved in the production of refrigerators — it wasn't even a kitchen appliance brand to begin with. It started off as Jenn Industries, a manufacturer of fans for industrial spaces, but eventually grew into JennAir, which found its way into the kitchen in the form of a self-ventilating oven. Maytag acquired the brand in 1984, and with this switch of ownership, it began branching out further into home appliance production. This is when refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers came along, and the company still produces items that fall into this category today.

Because JennAir was purchased by Maytag in the '80s, it was naturally included in the deal when Whirlpool acquired Maytag over 20 years later. Nowadays, JennAir functions as one of the more luxurious brands under Whirlpool's belt, crafting appliances, especially refrigerators, that are designed to either blend in seamlessly or make a bold statement in your kitchen. It's less likely that you'll find JennAir appliances at your local Home Depot or Lowe's, slightly decreasing the brand's visibility, but it's quite popular amongst those who prefer a more customizable look in their space and have the means to splurge.