Kuhn Rikon AG is a Swiss manufacturer of cookware and kitchen utensils, headquartered in Rikon in the Töss Valley, Canton of Zürich. The company remains a family-owned business. In 2026, Kuhn Rikon marks the centenary of Heinrich Kuhn’s acquisition of the company in 1926.

The company describes itself as a leading manufacturer of cookware and kitchen utensils, with its headquarters in Switzerland and subsidiaries internationally. 1

Kuhn Rikon operates primarily as a premium Swiss cookware company built around engineering and functional design. Unlike brands whose identity relies on fashion or lifestyle, Kuhn Rikon’s reputation stems from solving practical cooking problems through mechanical and manufacturing innovations.

Its most famous product is the DUROMATIC® pressure cooker, introduced in 1949. The design combined a spring valve and bayonet locking system, making pressure cooking quieter, faster, and safer than many conventional designs of that period. The DUROMATIC became so strongly associated with pressure cooking in Switzerland that the brand name itself became commonly used as a generic term for a pressure cooker. 2

There are two distinct dates relevant to Kuhn Rikon’s history:

• 1819 — The Rykon spinning mill was established on the current site.
• 1899 — The site transitioned to metalworking and cookware production.
• 1926 — Heinrich Kuhn acquired the company, establishing the modern business entity.
• 2001 — The company officially adopted the name Kuhn Rikon AG.
• 2026 — The company celebrates 100 years since Heinrich Kuhn’s acquisition. 3

While the physical industrial site has over two centuries of history, the Kuhn family’s corporate history begins in 1926.

The story begins in the Töss Valley, an important location for textile manufacturing due to the water power provided by the Töss River. In 1819, the Rykon spinning mill was established on the site.

By 1899, the site had transitioned from textile production to metalworking. The Kindlimann family established a factory producing copper cookware, iron-sheet cookware, cauldrons, pans, and cooking utensils. Locally, the factory became known as “Pfanni.” This transition laid the groundwork for Kuhn Rikon’s modern identity, which grew out of this combination of Swiss metalworking and cookware manufacturing.

In 1926, Heinrich Kuhn, a Swiss engineer who had previously worked as a mining engineer in Alsace, acquired the struggling cookware company Thiriet & Cie. in the Töss Valley. The acquisition involved significant personal risk, as Kuhn invested his savings and borrowed additional money to purchase and rebuild the business. 4 He renamed the company Heinrich Kuhn Metallwarenfabrik, the direct predecessor of today’s Kuhn Rikon AG.

One of Heinrich Kuhn’s earliest innovations responded to the rise of the electric stove. Traditional cookware was designed for open fires, whereas electric hotplates required flat, even bases. Kuhn developed the DURO cookware range specifically for electric hobs, using aluminium and specialized manufacturing techniques to create lightweight cookware with flat bottoms and early heat-resistant handles.

This established a recurring philosophy for the company: new kitchen technology requires new cookware technology.

The product responsible for Kuhn Rikon’s international reputation is the DUROMATIC® pressure cooker. Launched in 1949 and developed by Jacques Kuhn, Heinrich’s son, the design incorporated a spring valve and bayonet locking mechanism. According to the company, this resulted in a pressure cooker that was quieter, more efficient, and safer, while reducing cooking times by roughly one-third compared with conventional methods. 5

The DUROMATIC became a major Swiss-market product, an important export item, and a technological flagship. By 2009, Kuhn Rikon reported that more than 10 million DUROMATIC pressure cookers had been sold since their introduction.

Cultural Impact in Switzerland

The importance of the DUROMATIC extends beyond sales figures. The word “Duromatic” became so closely associated with pressure cooking that it is commonly used in Switzerland almost as a generic name for a pressure cooker. For Kuhn Rikon, the DUROMATIC effectively became synonymous with the Swiss pressure cooker.

Kuhn Rikon has remained strongly associated with the Kuhn family across multiple generations.

• First Generation: Heinrich Kuhn acquired the company in 1926.
• Second Generation: Brothers Henri and Jacques Kuhn developed the company after Heinrich’s death in 1932. Henri handled sales, marketing, and administration, while Jacques focused on engineering, product development, and manufacturing.
• Third Generation: Management passed to Hans-Heinrich Kuhn and Dr. Wolfgang Auwärter-Kuhn.
• Fourth Generation: In 2012, members including Philipp Kuhn, Dorothee Auwärter, Christian Kuhn, and Willi Auwärter joined the board of directors.

In 1975, the company introduced DUROTHERM®, a double-walled cookware system designed to allow pots to perform three functions: cook, serve, and keep food warm. The technology was patented worldwide and received gold medals at inventor exhibitions in Geneva and Vienna.

During the 1970s, Kuhn Rikon increasingly embraced the principle of combining aesthetic design with practical functionality, creating products that could move directly from stove to dining table. The famous red DUROMATIC lid also became an important visual identifier for the brand.

Although deeply rooted in Switzerland, Kuhn Rikon expanded its presence through subsidiaries and export markets:

• United Kingdom (1980): Established its first foreign subsidiary.
• Spain (1982): Opened a branch, capitalizing on the popularity of pressure cooking in Spanish cuisine.
• United States (1988): Established Kuhn Rikon Corporation USA, strengthening its presence in a major global cookware market.

A central aspect of Kuhn Rikon’s identity is Swiss manufacturing. The company continues to manufacture cookware in Rikon, Switzerland, emphasizing local production, engineering, and quality control. Its manufacturing process involves carefully selected raw materials, in-house design, specialized production lines, CAD/CAM technology, toolmaking, and continuous process optimization.

Today, Kuhn Rikon’s portfolio extends well beyond pressure cookers:

• Pressure Cookers: The DUROMATIC® family remains the signature product line.
• Frying Pans: The company produces both coated and uncoated frying pans, particularly promoting uncoated options for high-temperature searing and durability. 6
• Pots and Cookware: A range of conventional pots and specialized cookware.
• Double-Walled Cookware: DUROTHERM® systems remain a distinctive technology offering.
• Food-Warming Cookware: HOTPAN®, introduced in 2006, serves as a modern interpretation of the cook-serve-keep-warm philosophy. It is designed to retain food warmth for up to two hours and reduce electricity consumption in appropriate use cases. 7
• Kitchen Utensils: A wide range of everyday tools and accessories.

Kuhn Rikon’s design philosophy centers on Swiss engineering, functionality, durability, and visual simplicity. In 2005, the company established an in-house product design department to accelerate development and strengthen its design language. HOTPAN was the first product to emerge from this department and subsequently received international design awards. 8

An unusual aspect of Kuhn Rikon’s history is its connection to the Tibetan community in Switzerland. In 1964, Switzerland accepted approximately 1,000 Tibetan refugees. Henri and Jacques Kuhn assisted some families by providing employment and accommodation. 9 The brothers helped establish the Tibet Institute Rikon, which opened in 1968 and became an important spiritual and cultural center for Tibetans living in Switzerland and surrounding countries. Tibetan workers and their descendants have historically been part of the Kuhn Rikon workforce.

The modern name Kuhn Rikon combines the family name (Kuhn) with the locality (Rikon). The official company name, Kuhn Rikon AG, was adopted in 2001, replacing the older corporate name Heinrich Kuhn Metallwarenfabrik.

Kuhn Rikon occupies a position between mid-range premium cookware and ultra-luxury brands. Its strongest identity is as a premium, engineering-oriented Swiss cookware manufacturer. The brand reputation is built on:

• Pressure cooking expertise
• Swiss engineering
• Durability
• Functional design
• Specialty cookware

Unlike mass-market brands, Kuhn Rikon sells cookware as engineered equipment rather than simple kitchen decoration. Its premium status derives more from engineering and functionality than from luxury branding alone.

As of 2026, Kuhn Rikon presents itself as a leading Swiss manufacturer of cookware and kitchen utensils, maintaining international subsidiaries and a continuing emphasis on Swiss production. While historically associated with pressure cookers, modern Kuhn Rikon is understood as a broad premium Swiss kitchenware company encompassing cookware, frying pans, pressure cookers, kitchen tools, and specialized cooking/serving systems.

1. Premium quality pots and pans – The Swiss no. 1 brand
2. Kuhn Rikon
3. Kochgeschirr – Küchenhelfer – Schweizer Qualität seit 1926
4. Company Profiles
5. Category:Kuhn Rikon – Wikimedia Commons
6. about kuhn rikon
7. Kuhn Rikon UK
8. Kuhn Rikon – Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property
9. 100 Jahre Kuhn Rikon – Eine Schweizer Traditionsfirma schreibt Geschichte