Roband

Roband began in 1955 with a single product: a milkshake mixer that the founder, Sidney, designed and built in the family garage in Sydney. The name itself is a piece of family history — a blend of his two sons' names, Robert and Andrew. Robert went on to become a chef; Andrew went on to run the company.

Seven decades later, the milkshake mixer is still in the range — the DM31 remains a bestseller — but it's been joined by hundreds of other products: grill stations, fryers, pie warmers, bain maries, conveyor toasters, heat lamps and more, every one of them designed and manufactured in the company's Sydney facility. Roband stayed a family-owned Australian manufacturer through decades when most of the industry moved offshore, and built its reputation on the things that matter to an operator: equipment that performs, that lasts, and that can still be repaired years down the track. From independent corner cafes to five-star hotels, airlines and institutions, there's rarely a professional kitchen far from a piece of Roband gear.