A Slice of History

In 1898, W.A. Van Berkel, a butcher in Rotterdam of the Netherlands, figured out a way to slice more meat for his butcher shop to better serve his customers. The result of his innovation and determination was the world's first meat-slicing machine. The machine not only changed the way slicing was done in Van Berkel's butcher shop, it revolutionized the way people prepare food all over the world. By 1907, Berkel machines were reported in England, Belgium, France, Russia, China, Mexico, Canada and other countries.

In 1909, manufacturing of the first American machines began at the U.S. Slicing Machine Company is Chicago, Illinois. Six years later, the company had outgrown its space in Chicago, built a new factory in LaPorte, Indiana, and changed its name to Berkel Incorporated. In 2001, Berkel moved to South Bend, Indiana where, in addition to slicers, the company continues to offer such products as mixers, meat tenderizers, choppers, food cutters and processors and vacuum packaging machines.

ITW Food Equipment Group, located in Troy, Ohio, acquired the assets of Berkel Incorporated in July 2001 and formed Berkel Company. They saw this as an opportunity to further enhance the Berkel brand name, to grow the U.S. and Canadian market share and improve margins through the application of ITW's 80/20 philosophies.