Quooker
 | |
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Henri Peteri |
| Successor | Niels Peteri Walter Peteri (CEO) |
| Headquarters | Staalstraat 1 2984 AJ Ridderkerk, The Netherlands |
| Products | Boiling water tap, kitchen tap, integrated heating elements (kitchen), Chilled Water Tap, Carbonated Water Tap |
Number of employees | 900 (2025) |
| Parent | Quooker B.V. |
| Website | Quooker |
What started as a brilliant idea at the kitchen table grew into a global icon: the Quooker tap. A tap that does more than just provide water – it changes the way we use our kitchens. Innovative, sustainable and always one step ahead. This is our story.
The company was founded in 1971 by Henri Peteri. The company holds several patents on both the boiling water tap[1] and other products.[2] Quooker is currently active in 17 different countries as of 2025, and has more than 900 employees. All products are manufactured at their 11,000-square-meter (120,000 sq ft) factory in Ridderkerk, the Netherlands.[3]
History
[edit]Started in 1970. At the time, Rotterdam-born Henri Peteri worked for Unilever, and during a visit to the head office in London he had an idea that would change his life forever. It all happened during a presentation about instant soup, explaining him how soup could be dissolved in boiling water in just five seconds. 'And to do that, you’d have to heat the water for five minutes?' Peteri thought. 'That's stupid! Why can't we get boiling water from the mixer tap in our homes instead?' When he got home, Peteri went down into his basement and started developing a prototype of the first boiling-water tap in the world. It took a lot of time and money, but when the first model was made, Peteri sold it to some of his friends and acquaintances, who loved the idea instantly. Once people used a Quooker tap, they realised they couldn’t live without it.
The first prototype. During those first years that Henri Peteri worked on his idea for a boiling water tap, he made a few prototypes of both the tap and the kettle. The aim was to test the forces occurring and the operation of the parts, and to prepare for future production. The year 1974 saw the birth of a low, wide tap with a push button and a built-in tank, right in the Peteri family’s basement
First Sales By the end of 1974, some of these initial boiling water appliances had been sold to friends and family. The system was complete with a safety tap, inlet valve and stop tap. All this for only 350 guilders.
Break 1978 - 1985 After he’d taken out the seventh mortgage on his home, the financial options to continue development were finally exhausted. Peteri had to halt the project in 1987 in order to again provide for his family.
Following his university graduation, Henri’s son Niels followed in his father’s footsteps in 1985. He breathed new life into the business. The original idea and a few prototypes were still there, from 10 years ago. The product was still waiting to be developed.
Quick cooker 100+, Tap Two, Hot Shot, Fervetron, Drinkfizz, whizzDrink, Boliotron, Instantron… Following a long list of ideas, the name Quooker was finally chosen in 1988: a combination between Quick and Cooker.
The first tanks Four prototype reservoirs were designed between 1988 and 1999, including the first model of the vacuum-insulated reservoir. In the years that followed, this reservoir would be further developed and introduced on the market in the year 2000. From the start, our aim was to create a convenient product that wouldn’t lead to increased energy consumption in the home. And we succeeded, thanks to the high-vacuum insulation.
The first filters Since 1991, Quooker includes a carbon filter in every tap. The mass production of this item required an injection mould. Douwe Egberts appeared to have used such a mould, which was collected after approval by the CEO of DE
Quooker Basic The Quooker Basic was introduced in 1992. It was the first of a series of taps developed by Niels, and it was an instant success. The Classic was to follow in 1997 - as part of the same Basic series - the Design in 1998, and the Modern in 2005. All had been designed at a workbench instead of a drawing board. Hence the strong ‘form-follows-function’ appearance: the thin spout and the large aerator.
Expansion Did you know that: Quooker is active in 16 countries? In England people like to drink tea. In Italy people cook a lot of pasta. And in Hong Kong, people live in very small places so every opportunity is used to save space. There’s a different reason why the Quooker tap is popular in each country. The fact is that, so far, every introduction has been a success: the number of Quooker users worldwide is increasing every day.
This year, we introduced Quooker in France. Where will we go next in 2025?
Twintaps From the very beginning, there has been a demand for unity between the Quooker tap and the mixer tap. That is why Quooker launched the Twintaps tap set in 2010: two taps with the same design. It was also our first electronically operated tap.
Soap pump The soap pump was introduced in 2011. The demand for a soap dispenser had been there for years, but it was only when we developed the Fusion that there was enough space on the counter. In our drive for innovation, we never allow ourselves to be guided by the state of the art. If our ideas are not (yet) technically feasible, we first develop the technology to make it possible.
Fusion Two years after the Twintaps, Quooker launched another innovation: the Fusion - one tap for hot, cold and boiling water. Consumers could now replace their mixer tap with a Fusion tap. It led to the successful advertising slogan for this new tap: 'Tap out, Quooker in'.
Adding colour
- 2015 Gold
- 2017 Black
- 2019 Messing patina
- 2023 Gun Metal & Rose Copper
Flex Germany and Switzerland requested a tap with a flexible hose that could be easily pulled out and used in and around the sink. You ask, we deliver. The Quooker Flex was born in 2017. This new Quooker tap was nominated for the Dutch Design Awards as Product of the Year. The shortlist also included brands such as Bugaboo and Fatboy, but the Quooker Flex was selected as the winner.
CUBE We had already started the development of the CUBE in 2010, which was introduced to the public only later, in 2018. This was truly a revolution in the kitchen world. We first provided our customers with boiling water, then came hot and cold water in a mixer tap, and now with the Quooker CUBE, they could also enjoy chilled and sparkling water. The tap that does it all was born.
Front In 2022 Quooker again worked on a new tap, which was inspired by a design by Henri Peteri from 1976, which had a wide tube as a tap and the controls on the head. Our R&D department made prototypes and allowed users to test them. The result is a fantastic new tap.
Milestones
[edit]
- 1970 – Henri Peteri came up with the idea to develop a device that produces instant boiling water
- 1972 – The first patent
- 1976 –The first series of taps and tanks (40 pieces)
- 1978 – Henri Peteri was forced to discontinue his project and go back to earning a living for his family
- 1978 – Prototype. IDEI Design: The designers of the first Renault Espace
- 1985 – Henri's son Niels began working in his father's cellar, the idea became a product and Quooker was born
- 1988 – First set produced by Niels Peteri (100 pieces)
- 1992 – The launch of the Quooker basic, the first series of taps designed by Niels Peteri
- 1993 – Reinforced with other son Walter the product was launched commercially
- 1995 – Quooker bought their first building on Staalstraat in Ridderkerk
- 1997 – The first addition to the tap collection, the Classic
- 2000 – The launch of the Quooker VAQ, which denotes the tank's revolutionary high-vacuum insulation.
- 2004 – Quooker began exporting for the first time
- 2006 – Introduction of the Quooker COMBI, this model is 60% smaller and far more energy efficient than other boiling or hot water equipment
- 2007 – Henri Peteri died in this year, his greatest achievement was that the three of them (Walter, Niels and himself) had worked so well together
- 2010 – Introducing the Twintaps, a combined boiling water and mixer tap in the same design
- 2012 – The launch of the Quooker Fusion
- 2016 – Completing the built of a new factory, doubling the working area to 11.000 m²
- 2016 – Introduction of the Quooker Flex, a flexible hose for hot and cold water
- 2017 – The Quooker Flex is awarded a Dutch Design Award
- 2018 – Opened the doors of their new office in Manchester
- 2019 – Introduction of the Quooker CUBE, with chilled sparkling and filtered water as two new features
- 2022 – The launch of the Quooker Front
What's a Quooker system?
[edit]The Quooker system consists of a tap on the worktop linked to a tank underneath the sink. The tank is connected to the water mains. With a Quooker, in addition to cold and hot water, you have boiling water directly from your tap. If you combine your Quooker system with a CUBE-tank, you can also tap chilled still and chilled sparkling water.
Operation. The boiling water tap is easy and safe to operate with the Quooker button. This button is child-friendly, of course. So boiling water never just comes out of the tap. Below you can read how to tap the different types of water from the Quooker tap.
Current state of the art
[edit]In England people like to drink tea. In Italy people cook a lot of pasta. And in Hong Kong, people live in very small places so every opportunity is used to save space. There’s a different reason why the Quooker tap is popular in each country. The fact is that, so far, every introduction has been a success: the number of Quooker users worldwide is increasing every day.
Now, Quooker produces 300.000 Quooker-systems a year, there are over thousands of dealers, the turnover doubles every three years and we have factories in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Portugal and Poland. This is the result of years of development, testing and technical innovation. The Peteri brothers always aimed to produce the most sustainable, energy-efficient and high-quality product. Now they lead an internationally successful company. But, continuing in the spirit of their late father, they are still innovating.
Where will we go next in 2025?
References
[edit]- ^ Patent Kokendwaterkraan, Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, geraadpleegd 28-12-17
- ^ Patents Assigned to HENRI PETERI BEHEER B.V., Justia.com, geraadpleegd 28-12-17
- ^ Quooker verdievoudigt productiecapaciteit, FD, 13 juni 2016