Our History

1921   Barnard Sales Co.

1936   The Road to the Vita-Mix

1937   Natural Foods Institute

1948   World Headquarters Established

1949   Ruth's Recipes

1949   World's First Infomercial

1955   Papa Retires

1962   Grover Barnard

1981   Going Global

2002   Retail Expansion

2009   Jodi Berg Takes the Lead

2013   1 Million Machines

2020   Setting the Stage for the Next Century

2021   Vitamix at 100 Years



1921   Barnard Sales Co.

1936   The Road to the Vita-Mix

1937   Natural Foods Institute

1948   World Headquarters Established

1949   Ruth's Recipes

1949   World's First Infomercial

1955   Papa Retires

1962   Grover Barnard

1981   Going Global

2002   Retail Expansion

2009   Jodi Berg Takes the Lead

2013   1 Million Machines

2020   Setting the Stage for the Next Century

2021   Vitamix at 100 Years



A Whole-Food Health Pioneer

From the start, Vitamix® was rooted in whole-food nutrition. Although much has changed since 1921, our focus on better living through health and wellness holds strong.

Where It All Began

The Barnards’ passion for whole-food nutrition was born after discovering a natural solution for a family member’s chronic illness. They became vegetarians and cut sugar and caffeine from their diets. After seeing the benefits from this lifestyle change, they were believers in the power of whole foods.

Committing to Nutrition

By the late 1930s, the Barnards had made promoting healthy eating their life’s work. Their mail-order health food and vitamin business grew into the Natural Foods Institute. And when Papa recognised that a powerful blender could make healthy foods taste great, the Vita-Mix was created – and also sold in the family store.

Advocating for Whole Foods

In 1937, Papa Barnard published a book citing natural foods as a cure for many common diseases. In the ’40s and beyond, Ruth Barnard worked tirelessly to develop recipes rich in core vitamins. During the diet crazes of the ’80s and ’90s, Vitamix worked to educate the public about the difference between calories and nutrition. Today, the Vitamix Foundation pursues the elimination of diet-driven illness through the consumption of plant-based whole foods.

Innovating for Better Health

Unsurprisingly, the single greatest way Vitamix has committed to whole-food health is through the continuous innovation of next-generation blending machines. Through industry-leading design and engineering, whole-food nutrition is made easy, efficient, and delicious for people at home, in professional kitchens, and beyond.

Vitamix® Through the Years

From the very first at-home blending machine to expansions into commercial kitchens to our latest innovations, here’s a look at the evolution of the Vitamix®.