Breville – Our Story

At the 1932 Melbourne Cup, Bill O’Brien, a radio salesman, and Harry Norville, an engineer, placed a bet on 4-1 pony ‘Peter Pan,’ and won. Despite tough economic times, the two decided to invest their winnings into something they’d long dreamt of and started Breville Radio. The word ‘Breville’ is a derivate of the founders’ names; O’Brien and Norville. But by the late ’50s, television had all but replaced the radio, and so Breville’s focus turned to small appliances.

John O’Brien, Bill’s son, quickly became passionate in the growing small-appliance business, founding the Breville Research and Development center in 1972. Two years later, the world’s first scissor-action sandwich maker was invented, selling 400,000 units in its first year – one of the most successful product launches in Australian history. Today, from New Zealand to the UK, toasted sandwiches are still affectionately called ‘Brevilles’ – in fact, the term has been added to the Australian dictionary. The sandwich maker’s success was soon followed by the iconic ‘Kitchen Wizz’ food processor, together with a range of high-performance, time-saving appliances such as blenders, dairy bars, yoghurt makers, and waffle irons. By the early ’80s, Breville had established an office in Hong Kong and was exporting its innovations to 15 countries.

During the 1990s, Breville’s hometown of Sydney was quickly becoming the world’s most multicultural city, with a craving for fresh, healthy foods and a taste for Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. Breville’s revolutionary innovations like the high-wall heating electric wok, the health grill, panini press, and award-winning Juice Fountain and espresso machines, brought Sydney’s ’Café Culture’ to millions of homes around the world. In 2001, Breville’s merger with Australian kitchenware company HWI helped in supporting the expansion of Breville’s Centre of Design Excellence and in bringing Breville design and innovation to North America.

Breville in Canada
Breville products compete on performance and design, with the result that Breville has partnered with retailers that focus on communicating these strengths, resisting calls from mass retailers and clubs. Yet its growth is astounding. “At first we saw Canada as a niche opportunity.” says Scott Brady, VP of Sales & Marketing. “Even at the premium end of the market, there were so many established brand names to compete with head-to-head. But the reaction from retailers during our launch at the 2003 IHA show made it clear the Canadian market had been yearning for this kind of innovation for some time and that Breville is destined to become a major player in the market.” The unique combination of genuine innovation and beautiful design has resonated strongly with Canadian consumers.

Die-Cast Series

With this simple principle, the Breville Die-Cast Series sets the standard in no-compromise performance and durability. It’s the new generation of heavy-duty, professional-grade countertop appliances for the home chef who has an eye for the finer things in life. Some call them inspirational and indispensable. We call them modern classics. Bold in design and with cutting-edge innovation and high-performance features, this range is for people who want their kitchen to make a statement.

ikon Series

• Refined
• Crisp
• Sleek

© Breville 2009