Dualit

“No frills. No gimmicks. No compromise. It must be Dualit.”

Dualit’s success lies in a single-minded vision for the company and its products. This hasn’t changed since Max Gort-Barten started the company, way back in the 1940s.

Max Gort-Barten was born in Germany in 1914. Max's father was also an inventor and the family produced acetate wallets in a factory behind their house. Max found himself in England as WWII broke out. After 5 years in the army, he bought a factory in Camberwell with the intention of manufacturing one of his many inventions, the first of which was a cocktail shaker. Next was a heater with a dual function element and a light, named the 'Dual Light heater' from which the company's name was born. His first successful product was the flip-sided toaster, patented in 1946.

In 1952, Max designed a new commercial six-slot toaster with a mechanical timer and manual eject lever to keep the toast warm until needed. Residents of Picton Street and the entire Gort-Barten family were involved in its production. In 1954, the Government compulsory-purchased the factory and gave Max money to build a new factory on the Old Kent Road.

In the 70s, Dualit toasters started to appear in John Lewis, Fortnum & Mason and Harrods. In 1974, Max stepped down as Managing Director and Leslie joined the business. By the late '70s, Dualit had employed a Royal College of Art design graduate and the toaster's enhanced styling subsequently gave it a bigger presence in retail outlets.

In the 90s, Dualit launched its first kettle, with cordless operation and a 360° swivel base. They would become some of Dualit's most successful products. A range of products designed for professional use in bars, including an ice crusher, drinks mixer and blender also launched. In 1999, Max and Leslie exploited Space Shuttle technology to develop the Proheat element. It won the company a Millennium award.

In 2003, the same year that Max Gort-Barten died, the company outgrew its original home in the Old Kent Road and moved to new premises in Crawley, West Sussex. The launch of new countertop products continued in the 00s: with the first Dualit Food Processor in 2007, DAB radios (2006 & 2008) and a new model of toaster, called the Lite. In addition to a new semi-automatic espresso maker early in the decade, Dualit launched the Espressivo Coffee Machine in 2008. Giving customers the option of using ground coffee or handy ESE coffee pods, the Espressivo paved the way for Dualit's current range of multi-brew machines. The NewGen Classic Toaster launched in 2009, incorporating a bagel toasting feature into its design.

Dualit opened its own capsule production plant in 2013, putting its engineering experience into developing a patented range of coffee capsules compatible with both Dualit coffee machines and Nespresso® machines. High street retailers and supermarkets began stocking the capsules, giving customers a choice of where to purchase.

Inspired by invention, entrepreneurship, and gut instinct, Dualit continues to grow by understanding what its customers need and exceeding their expectations.

New products are designed and engineered against stringent quality criteria, occasionally re-engineered and often enhanced, then tested to destruction, before they earn a Dualit badge. And they can only keep that badge if all elements of the manufacturing process pass Dualit’s stringent quality control process.

Its roots in commercial restaurants and hotels give Dualit the best possible credentials in any kitchen. This results in products that are built to last, where performance comes first and reliability is an integral part of their design.

Shop BrandAlley’s Dualit sale today, where you can grab up to 30% off Dualit kettles, toasters and signature coffee machines.