Füritechnics
Formation | July 1996 |
---|---|
Founder | Mark Henry |
Type | Knife Manufacturer and Developer |
Headquarters | Sydney |
Location |
|
Official language | English |
Website | http://furiglobal.com/ |
Füritechnics Pty Ltd is an Australian manufacturer and developer of kitchen knives[1] that sells under the abbreviated name Füri.[2]
History
[edit]The company was founded by a mechanical engineer named Mark Henry, in July 1996, in Brisbane.[1][2] They soon developed themselves as the leading knife manufacturers in Australia.[1][3] Due to Füritechnics' endorsement by a TV celebrity cook, Rachael Ray, they established an office in the United States, named Füritechnics USA Inc. The headquarters for Füritechnics USA was established in San Francisco in August, 2005.[1]
In March 2006, Füritechnics appointed the largest kitchenware importer in Australia, Sheldon & Hammond, to distribute their product in Australia and New Zealand.[4] By today Sheldond and Hammond do not sell any Füri products. As of July 2006, Füritechnics USA has signed manufacturing representation for the West and East coast regions of the United States, with the Morgan & Sampson firm.[5]
Marlin Equity Partners, LLC, a private investment firm, announced in October 2008 its acquisition of the assets of Füritechnics Group and the subsequent formation of Füri Brands, Inc.[6]
Füri was purchased in 2013 by McPherson's Consumer Products Pty Ltd, an Australian consumer products business, marketing and distributing a wide range of health and beauty products, household consumables and household durables throughout Asia Pacific, the UK, Europe and North America.
Products & technologies
[edit]Füritechnics' most well-known product is their East-West knife, a modified santoku blade with a curved edge similar to a French chef's knife.
Some of their larger knives are designed with a copper counterweight ("Coppertail") at the end of the handle; the manufacturer claims that the counterweight can be shaved off as the blade loses mass to sharpening to keep the knife balanced. This is not universal across their several product lines, as some of their less expensive knives use stainless steel counterweights instead.
Endorsements
[edit]Füri has previously been endorsed by several celebrity chefs around the world, including TV chef Rachael Ray in North America, restaurateur Stephanie Alexander in Australia and Nigella Lawson in Britain.[7] Füri is currently endorsed by Australian chef Kylie Kwong and Emmy Award-winning country singer and cookbook author Trisha Yearwood.
External links
[edit]- Füri homepage
- McPherson's Consumer Products Pty Ltd
- IPAustralia profile of the company
- Queensland University of Technology 2005 Alumni awards page, featuring bio of founder Mark Henry
Note
[edit]- ^ a b c d History and Development of Furitechnic.
- ^ a b Furitechnic on IP Australia Archived 2007-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Aussies carve niche knife market - Australian export case study
- ^ The Vittoria Australian Food Media Awards 2006 - Issue Two, March 2006.
- ^ KitchenWare News - July 2006
- ^ Gourmet Insider
- ^ Profile of Mark Henry Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine