Krups
German-origin kitchen-appliance brand known especially for coffee machines, mixers, and other small household appliances; now part of Groupe SEB.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Krups is a German-origin kitchen-appliance brand named after its founder, Robert Krups. The business began in 1846 in Wald, then an independent town and now a district of Solingen in North Rhine-Westphalia, initially making precision scales and industrial balances. Those weighing products remained the company’s principal business for more than a century. Krups entered the consumer-appliance market during Germany’s postwar reconstruction and economic expansion. From the 1950s onward, it broadened its range from industrial weighing equipment into products intended for everyday domestic use. Its 3Mix hand mixer, introduced in 1959, became particularly successful in West Germany and was reported to have become a fixture in a substantial share of households. The company followed it with the ONKO coffee machine in 1961. The machine was sold for many years under the F468 designation, remaining in the range until 2014. In 1965, Krups added its first food slicer, another well-known product in the German market. Coffee preparation became increasingly central to the brand. Krups introduced coffee machines in the early 1980s and by 1990 coffee products represented a significant share of sales in both Germany and the United States. The company’s appliance portfolio also expanded to include toasters, blenders, kettles, waffle makers, egg cookers, hand mixers, food processors, coffee grinders, and related kitchen equipment. Its products have sometimes gained visibility beyond conventional advertising: the Type 223 Coffina Super coffee grinder appeared as a prop in the 1979 film Alien and was later recognizable as the fictional Mr. Fusion device in Back to the Future. By 1990, Krups employed approximately 3,000 people across four German factories and a factory in Limerick, Ireland. The company reported revenue of DM541 million that year. In 1991, it entered a joint venture with Nestlé to manufacture Nespresso machines, linking the brand to the development of the portioned-coffee-machine category. The Limerick plant closed in 1999 after having employed about 800 people. Following financial difficulties and bankruptcy in 2001, Krups became part of Groupe SEB, the French small-appliance group that also owns several other household-appliance brands. Under Groupe SEB, Krups was repositioned as a premium-oriented brand, with emphasis on design, coffee expertise, and higher-end kitchen appliances. Its current identity is therefore German in origin but corporate-owned by a French group. The brand continues to be associated most strongly with coffee makers and coffee machines, while retaining a broader presence in small domestic appliances. Exact current product availability varies by country and sales channel.
History
Krups traces its origins to 1846, when Robert Krups established a business in Wald, in the area of present-day Solingen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The early company specialized in precision scales and industrial balances. Weighing equipment remained its principal product line for roughly 110 years, making the brand’s later association with kitchen appliances a significant strategic transformation rather than its original purpose. The change began in 1951, when Krups entered the consumer-appliance sector amid postwar reconstruction and rising household consumption in Germany. The company developed products for routine domestic tasks and gradually built a reputation for engineered, practical appliances. Its 3Mix hand mixer, launched in 1959, became a major success in West Germany. The machine was sufficiently widespread to become a familiar household fixture. In 1961, Krups introduced the ONKO coffee machine, later marketed as model F468. That product remained in the company’s historical range until 2014. A food slicer launched in 1965 also became popular in Germany, where sliced sausage, cheese, and other foods formed an important part of everyday kitchen use. During the following decades, Krups expanded across the small-appliance category. Its range came to include coffee makers, coffee grinders, toasters, blenders, kettles, waffle makers, egg cookers, hand mixers, food processors, and other kitchen devices. Coffee became especially important to the business. Krups coffee equipment appeared in the 1980s, and by 1990 coffee machines accounted for approximately 40 percent of the company’s sales in Germany and 30 percent in the United States, according to the cited historical account. In the same year, Krups employed around 3,000 people in four German factories and one factory in Limerick, Ireland, and reported annual revenue of DM541 million. Krups also acquired a degree of popular-culture visibility through product placement and prop use. The Type 223 Coffina Super coffee grinder was used in Alien, released in 1979, as part of the Nostromo spacecraft’s equipment. A version of the same recognizable appliance later appeared as the fictional Mr. Fusion device in Back to the Future. These appearances were not described as formal brand campaigns, but they helped make the grinder an enduring example of industrial design recognizable outside the kitchen-appliance market. In 1991, Krups entered a joint venture with Nestlé to manufacture Nespresso machines. The arrangement placed Krups within the development of a rapidly growing capsule-coffee format and reinforced its position in coffee equipment. The company later experienced operational and financial pressure. Its Limerick factory closed in 1999; the plant had previously employed about 800 people. In 2001, following bankruptcy, Krups joined Groupe SEB, the French household-appliance group. Groupe SEB’s ownership changed the strategic context of the brand. Rather than operating as an independent German manufacturer, Krups became part of a multinational portfolio and was oriented toward the premium segment. Its post-acquisition identity emphasized design and quality, especially in coffee machines and other higher-value kitchen appliances. Krups remains a German-origin brand under French ownership, with product availability and exact lineups varying by national market. The brand is best known internationally for coffee preparation, but its historical and current scope also includes a wide range of small household appliances.
- 2001
Krups becomes part of Groupe SEB
[1]After bankruptcy, Krups joined Groupe SEB and was subsequently repositioned as a premium brand.
- 1999
Limerick factory closes
[1]Krups closed its Irish factory in Limerick, which had previously employed approximately 800 people.
- 1991
Nespresso manufacturing joint venture
[1]Krups entered a joint venture with Nestlé to manufacture Nespresso machines.
- 1990
International manufacturing and coffee focus
[1]Krups employed approximately 3,000 people in five factories across Germany and Ireland. Coffee machines represented a substantial share of sales in Germany and the United States.
- 1983
First Krups coffee machines released
[1]Krups expanded its coffee portfolio with the release of its first coffee machines.
- 1979
Coffina Super gains film visibility
[1]The Type 223 Coffina Super coffee grinder appeared as a prop in Alien and later became recognizable as Mr. Fusion in Back to the Future.
- 1965
First Krups food slicer
[1]The company introduced its first slicer, which became a popular German-market product.
- 1961
ONKO coffee machine introduced
[1]Krups launched the ONKO coffee machine, later sold under the F468 model designation.
- 1959
3Mix hand mixer launched
[1]The 3Mix hand mixer became a highly successful domestic appliance in West Germany.
- 1951
Entry into consumer appliances
[1]Krups expanded from industrial weighing equipment into household consumer appliances during Germany’s postwar economic boom.
Products and positioning
Premium-oriented small kitchen appliances, with particular emphasis on coffee preparation, functional engineering, and design.
Hand mixer · 1959
3Mix
Introduced in 1959, the 3Mix was one of Krups’ defining early consumer products. Known in German as Drei-Mix, it helped establish the company as a household-appliance maker after its long period focused on precision scales and industrial balances. The mixer became widely used in West German homes and remains an important historical example of Krups’ move into practical kitchen equipment.
Coffee machine · 1961
ONKO / F468
The ONKO coffee machine was introduced in 1961 and was later available under the F468 designation. It became one of the long-running products in Krups’ coffee history and was reported to remain in the range until 2014. Its longevity reflects the importance of straightforward brewed-coffee equipment to the brand’s German consumer business.
Coffee grinder
Type 223 Coffina Super
The Coffina Super was a Krups coffee grinder associated with the Type 223 designation. Its compact industrial design gave it visibility beyond ordinary product use: it appeared as equipment in Alien and later as the fictional Mr. Fusion device in Back to the Future. The product is chiefly remembered today for this distinctive design and its place in film history.
Coffee appliances · 1983
Krups coffee machines
Coffee machines became Krups’ most important product family from the late twentieth century onward. The brand released its first coffee machines in 1983, and coffee equipment later represented a large share of sales in Germany and the United States. Under Groupe SEB, coffee preparation remains the central association of the Krups name, alongside a broader range of small kitchen appliances.
Household appliances
Small kitchen appliances
Krups has produced a broad portfolio of domestic appliances beyond coffee equipment. Documented categories include toasters, blenders, kettles, waffle makers, egg cookers, hand mixers, food processors, and food slicers. Product availability differs between countries, and the brand’s current portfolio is managed within Groupe SEB’s broader international appliance organization.
Marketing campaigns
- 1979Film prop visibility for Coffina Super
International
The Type 223 Coffina Super coffee grinder was used as a prop in Alien. A similar appearance later as Mr. Fusion in Back to the Future gave the product unusual cultural visibility outside traditional appliance advertising.
Outcome. The grinder became a recognizable example of product design in popular culture.
Brand decisions
2001
Integration into Groupe SEBM&ABackground
Krups experienced financial difficulties and bankruptcy after the closure of its Limerick factory in 1999.
Action taken
Krups joined Groupe SEB, the French household-appliance group.
Aftermath
Groupe SEB repositioned Krups as a premium brand within its appliance portfolio.
1991
Joint venture with Nestlé for Nespresso machinesM&ABackground
Coffee machines had become a major part of Krups’ business, particularly in Germany and the United States.
Action taken
Krups entered a joint venture with Nestlé to manufacture Nespresso machines.
Aftermath
The arrangement connected Krups with the development of the portioned-coffee-machine category.
1951
Diversification into consumer appliancesStrategyBackground
Krups had spent most of its first century producing precision scales and industrial balances, while postwar Germany created expanding demand for household goods.
Action taken
The company entered the consumer-appliance market and began developing products for domestic kitchens.
Aftermath
This diversification established the foundation for Krups’ later identity as a small kitchen-appliance brand.
Recent events
- 2001
Krups joins Groupe SEB after financial difficulties[1]
Bankruptcy · M&A
Following bankruptcy, Krups became part of Groupe SEB. The French appliance group subsequently repositioned Krups as a premium brand.
- 1999
Krups closes its Limerick factory[1]
Other
The Krups factory in Limerick, Ireland, which had employed approximately 800 people, closed after the company’s manufacturing footprint had included the site for many years.
- 1991
Krups forms a Nespresso manufacturing joint venture with Nestlé[1]
M&A · Product launch
Krups and Nestlé established a joint venture to produce Nespresso machines, connecting Krups to the emerging portioned-coffee system.
- 1983
Krups coffee machines enter the market[1]
Product launch
Krups released its first coffee machines in the period when coffee preparation was becoming a central part of the brand’s appliance business.
- 1979
Krups coffee grinder appears in Alien[1]
Campaign
A Krups Type 223 Coffina Super coffee grinder was used as a prop in the science-fiction film Alien, contributing to the product’s later cultural recognition.
- 1965
Krups launches its first food slicer[1]
Product launch
The company expanded its domestic-appliance portfolio with a food slicer that became a popular product in Germany.
- 1961
Krups introduces the ONKO coffee machine[1]
Product launch
Krups introduced the ONKO coffee machine, later sold as the F468, which remained associated with the brand for decades.
- 1959
Krups launches the 3Mix hand mixer[1]
Product launch
The 3Mix, known in German as Drei-Mix, became one of Krups’ best-known domestic products and achieved broad adoption in West Germany.
- 1951
Krups enters the consumer-appliance market[1]
Other
After more than a century focused mainly on precision scales and industrial balances, Krups moved into household consumer appliances during Germany’s postwar economic expansion.
Sources2 sources
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