Two brothers, a restaurant, and a keen eye for spotting an opportunity. This is how the journey of HOUNÖ initially started.
1977 was the year when the two Houmøller brothers, Svend and Hans Jørgen, built their first combi oven in Randers, Denmark.
The idea of making the combi oven first saw its peak of daylight, when success at Svend’s blooming restaurant meant the need for bigger kitchen ovens.
None of the industrial ovens on the market at that time suited his needs.
So the brothers decided to build their very own combi oven starting in Hans Jørgen’s garage. With a solid background in engineering, Hans Jørgen had the skills to develop and lay out the technical foundation for what later became HOUNÖ’s first combi oven. Later on, Hans Jørgen was never shy to admit that the first prototype was not the prettiest but worked perfectly.
HOUNÖ has long since outgrown the small garage, and resides in a 3.200 m2 manufacturing site still located in Randers making it a strong part of our Danish DNA.
And the rest is history. With more than 45 years of experience in the combi oven industry, HOUNÖ has continued to develop a strong knowhow within innovation and IoT in the combi oven industry.
As a result, engineering remains a strong backbone at the HOUNÖ we know today where quality, functionality combined with elegant Danish design is the essence of our products.
In 2006 HOUNÖ was acquired by the American Middleby Corporation providing professional foodservice and food processing equipment worldwide.
Fun fact 1 in 3 restaurants worldwide uses Middleby equipment.
