Magimix has appointed former Groupe SEB managing director, Wivina Chaneliere as managing director for its newly created Australian subsidiary, to further develop the brand and grow the cooking food processor category.
Chaneliere was managing director for Groupe SEB Australia and New Zealand for 15 years until her departure in mid-2017. Shortly after, Chaneliere established a premium French homewares business, Table Manners, for the Australian retail and hospitality markets. Prior to her tenure at Groupe SEB, she worked in marketing roles for Prestige Brands, Philips and HPM Legrand.
Commenting on her appointment at Magimix, Chaneliere said, “Magimix is an iconic brand well known by all food connoisseurs and home chefs. The products are super reliable and have an unequalled reputation in the market. Product Review and Choice have recommended the brand over many years and it has won several awards.
“It’s time to further boost the brand awareness of Magimix in the food preparation category across all marketing avenues including social media. Being French and having worked in small appliances throughout my career in Australia, this was an association meant to be. I am honoured to develop the brand in Australia and would like to sincerely thank the Cambur team for all the work and passion put in this brand to where it is today.”
The history of Magimix
Magimix was first established in 1961 by Pierre Verdun, a butcher from Montceau les Mines, small village located in the heart if Burgundy, a region noted for its gastronomy, and Robert Comte created the first food preparation machine with a blade on the bottom of the pot.
Robot-Coupe’s idea was to create a single machine that could perform a variety of routine tasks for professional chefs such as chopping, grinding, kneading and shredding. It was patented and became the first multi-function food processor in the world.
Verdun’s wife then asked for a smaller version of the product for domestic use and in 1971, the first compact domestic food processer was created under the brand name Magimix.
The brand was quickly developed around the world and in the US under the name Cuisinart. After a tumultuous relationship between Cuisinart and Robot-Coupe, Verdun left the company in 1980 when groupe Hameur took over the two brands and remains the sole owner of the company with over 150 employees and an international brand presence.
Magimix entered the Australian market in 1998 with Cambur as the distributor and was officially launched at the Sydney Fair in 1999.
The brand was developed across a select distribution model which focused on department stores and independent kitchen chains such as Minimax, House and Kitchen Warehouse among others. Magimix has partnered with Melbourne chef, Adrian Richardson and Good Chef Bad Chef for the last 12 years and has an extensive team of dedicated demonstrators for channels such as TVSN.
With the closure of Cambur in 2018, Magimix made the decision to create its own subsidiary and distribute the brand direct in Australia. The head office moved from Melbourne to Sydney and is now based in the same office as Robot-Coupe in Artarmon.
Today, all Magimix food processors are made in France in the Montceau les Mines factory and the accessories, including the blades and discs, are made from Sabatier stainless steel and manufactured in Thiers.
The Magimix industrial-grade direct-drive induction motor is guaranteed for 30 years with a repair, not replacement, warranty which reflects the brand’s slogan ‘built better to last longer’.