Harold Import Company

What Harold Import Company does

Harold Import Company (HIC) is a privately held, family-owned wholesale distributor of kitchen tools and cooking equipment headquartered in the United States. The company operates a 'Family of Brands' portfolio that combines its own house labels—including HIC Kitchen, Mrs. Anderson's Baking, Helen's Asian Kitchen, Fante Italian Home Cooking, Cutlery Pro, Maine Man Seafood, Fino, EVO, and Cat Cora—with distributed brands such as Aerolatte, King Arthur Baking, Eddingtons, Joie, Talisman Designs, and Jaccard. Product categories span Asian cooking, baking, food preparation, Italian cooking, cleaning, coffee and tea, entertaining, porcelain, and textiles, with materials ranging across stainless steel, marble, porcelain, silicone, bamboo, and wood. The technology layer is a Magento-based e-commerce platform (HICKitchen.com) that supports both consumer browsing and authenticated wholesale ordering via a reseller portal, a Quick Order Form with CSV upload, and integration with the Faire wholesale marketplace.

HIC's primary customers are retailers, food-service establishments, and resellers across North America, with secondary reach to home cooks through consumer-facing content. Documented enterprise and mid-market accounts include Knowlan's Festival Foods, Kowalski's Markets, Smith & Edwards, Wedge Co-op, and Lakewinds Food Co-op; specialty retailers and SMB customers include The Extra Ingredient, Cooks World, and Daily Grind Cafe, with several relationships spanning 17 to 34 years. The company goes to market through dedicated direct sales representatives for enterprise accounts, an authenticated B2B reseller portal for mid-market buyers, the Faire marketplace to access small retailers, and digital marketing channels (website, blog, email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) for brand building and demand generation. Pricing is quote-based and gated behind authenticated reseller accounts, with low minimum order quantities that allow smaller retailers to test products.

Name

Harold Import Company

Legal name

Harold Import Company

Website

https://hickitchen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Harold Import Company is a privately held US wholesale distributor of kitchen tools and cooking equipment, operating a Family of Brands portfolio (HIC Kitchen, Mrs. Anderson's, Helen's Asian Kitchen, Fante, Fino, Aerolatte, and others) sold via a B2B reseller portal, Faire marketplace, and direct sales to retailers, food-service, and resellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Kitchen Supplies: HIC generates revenue through wholesale distribution of kitchen tools, cooking equipment, and culinary supplies to retailers, food-service establishments, and resellers. Products span categories including Asian cooking, baking, food prep, Italian cooking, cleaning, coffee and tea, entertaining, porcelain, and textiles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harold Import Company is a family-owned wholesale distributor of kitchen tools, cooking equipment, and culinary supplies sold primarily to retailers, food-service operators, and resellers. It curates and distributes an extensive portfolio spanning its own HIC Kitchen label and owned sub-brands (Mrs. Anderson's Baking, Helen's Asian Kitchen, Fante, Cutlery Pro, Maine Man Seafood, Fino, EVO, Cat Cora, Aerolatte) together with distributed third-party brands. Customers order through a B2B reseller portal, the Faire marketplace, and via dedicated direct sales representatives.

Product overview

Harold Import Company operates as a wholesale kitchen supplies distributor with a portfolio of house brands and curated third-party brands. The core HIC Kitchen brand offers commercial and home kitchen supplies including cooking tools, porcelain bakeware, grilling equipment, and cleaning supplies. The Family of Brands includes Mrs. Anderson's Baking (decorating tools and silicone bakeware), Helen's Asian Kitchen (woks, bamboo tools, sushi accessories), Fante Italian Home Cooking (pasta machines, pizza tools), Cutlery Pro, Maine Man Seafood, Fino (French presses, espresso cups), EVO, King Arthur Baking (ceramic pans), and Cat Cora cutlery. The company sells through HICKitchen.com e-commerce platform with Quick Order Form and CSV upload for wholesale ordering, and is available on the Faire marketplace for wholesale customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mrs. Anderson's Baking: Baking-specific tools and accessories including baking mats, cookie stamps, batter dispensers, and decorating tools
• Helen's Asian Kitchen
• Fante Italian Home Cooking
• Cutlery Pro
• Maine Man Seafood
• Fino
• EVO
• King Arthur Baking
• Cat Cora
• Aerolatte

Products and services

• HIC Kitchen (House Brand) Core house brand offering commercial and home kitchen supplies including cooking tools, porcelain bakeware, grilling equipment, and cleaning supplies for home cooks and professional chefs.
• Mrs. Anderson's Baking Baking brand offering baking mats, cookie cutters, silicone bakeware, decorating tools, batter dispensers, and baking accessories.
• Helen's Asian Kitchen Asian cooking specialty brand featuring bamboo tools, steaming equipment, woks, sushi tools, chopsticks, and Asian cuisine preparation accessories.
• Fante Italian Home Cooking Italian cooking brand offering pasta machines, pasta tools, pizza tools, garlic tools, choppers, and Italian culinary equipment.
• Cutlery Pro Professional-grade cutlery and knife accessories for commercial and home kitchen use.
• Maine Man Seafood Seafood preparation tools and accessories for shellfishing and fish preparation.
• Fino Coffee and Tea Coffee and tea preparation brand featuring French press coffee makers, espresso cups, kettles, and tea preparation equipment.
• EVO Specialty Cooking Tools Kitchen tools brand offering specialty cooking accessories and culinary equipment.
• King Arthur Baking Baking brand from King Arthur Baking Company offering ceramic scone pans, rectangular pans with handles, and professional baking dishes.
• Cat Cora Cutlery and Accessories Celebrity chef-endorsed cutlery and kitchen accessories brand created with chef Cat Cora.
• Eddingtons Italian Olive Wood Utensils Handcrafted Italian olive wood cooking utensils including spoons, spatulas, salad sets, and spaghetti tools, made in Europe from fine Italian olivewood and safe for nonstick cookware.
• Aerolatte Coffee and Tea Products Battery-operated steam-free milk frothers, matcha tea frothers, French presses in 3-, 5-, and 8-cup sizes, hot frother jugs, drip coffee brewers, cappuccino art stencils, and portable travel mugs.
• Joie Microwave Kitchen Tools Microwave-safe kitchen tools including egg omelet makers, egg poachers, egg bites trays, potato cookers, corn cookers, rice cookers, and microwave lids made from BPA-free silicone and plastic.
• HIC Kitchen Stainless Steel Mortar and Pestle with Cover Durable 18/8 stainless steel mortar and pestle (3.25 x 3 inches) with polyethylene cover for grinding spices, herbs, nuts, and seeds.
• HIC Kitchen Marble Mortar and Pestle Collection Carrara marble mortar and pestle sets for grinding spices, herbs, nuts, and grains, available in standard, mushroom-shaped, and tall designs.
• HIC Kitchen Meat Tenderizers Meat preparation tools including soft-grip tenderizers, heavyweight aluminum tenderizers, dual-sided tenderizers, beechwood tenderizers, and Jaccard knife tenderizers backed by Jaccard's limited lifetime warranty.
• Cannonball Ice Ball Tray Silicone ice ball tray measuring 9.25" x 3.75", dishwasher safe and heat safe up to 500 degrees, designed for ice balls and bite-sized treats.
• HICKitchen.com Wholesale E-Commerce Platform B2B-oriented e-commerce platform offering a Quick Order Form with CSV upload capability, an authenticated reseller login portal, and integration with the Faire wholesale marketplace for placing bulk orders of HIC kitchen products.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FairecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHIC is now available on Faire marketplace, enabling wholesale customers to purchase HIC products through this B2B e-commerce platform. This partnership expands HIC's distribution reach to small and medium retailers.
• Eddington'sminorOthersHIC distributes Eddington's Italian Olive Wood kitchen utensils including spoons, spatulas, and salad sets. Products are made in Europe from Italian Olivewood.
• Fante's (Italian Home Cooking)coreOthersFante Italian Home Cooking is one of HIC's owned family of brands representing core products for professional and home chefs, including Italian cooking tools, pasta machines, and kitchen gadgets.
• Mrs. Anderson's BakingcoreOthersMrs. Anderson's Baking is HIC's owned brand specializing in baking tools, baking mats, cookie cutters, and decorating accessories.
• Helen's Asian KitchencoreOthersHelen's Asian Kitchen is HIC's owned brand focused on Asian cooking tools, bamboo accessories, steaming equipment, sushi tools, and woks.
• King Arthur BakingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHIC distributes King Arthur Baking Company products including ceramic scone pans, baking dishes, and specialty baking equipment.
• AerolatteminorOthersAerolatte has been part of HIC's extended family of brands since YEAR (specific year not provided). Aerolatte specializes in milk frothers, French presses, and coffee accessories.
• JoieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHIC distributes Joie branded kitchen gadgets including egg poachers, burger presses, microwave cookers, and kitchen accessories.
• Talisman DesignsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHIC distributes Talisman Designs products including microwave bacon trays, chicken shredder forks, and kitchen tools.
• JaccardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHIC distributes Jaccard meat tenderizers backed by Jaccard's limited lifetime warranty.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hubert Company: Wholesale distributor of foodservice equipment, supplies, and smallwares to retailers and restaurants. Comparable to HIC in the foodservice wholesale channel and product mix (kitchen tools, utensils, supplies).
• Restaurant Depot: Members-only wholesale foodservice distributor serving independent restaurants and small businesses. Comparable to HIC in foodservice customer focus, though HIC skews more toward retail/grocery resellers and Restaurant Depot more toward restaurant operators.
• Vollrath: Manufacturer and distributor of foodservice equipment, cookware, and smallwares. Comparable to HIC in the commercial kitchen and foodservice categories, though Vollrath is more manufacturer-heavy and industrial in scale.
• Update International: Wholesale distributor of kitchen tools, smallwares, and tabletop supplies for the foodservice industry. Closely comparable to HIC's foodservice segment: similar product categories (cooking tools, utensils, bar supplies) and B2B wholesale go-to-market.
• Fox Run Brands: Wholesale supplier of kitchen gadgets, bakeware, and cooking tools sold under multiple owned and licensed brands. Closely comparable to HIC: similar multi-brand strategy, similar product categories (baking tools, gadgets, cookware), and wholesale-to-retail distribution.
• RSVP International: Wholesale supplier of kitchen gadgets, bar tools, and specialty housewares with multiple owned and licensed brands. Comparable to HIC in multi-brand wholesale strategy and overlapping product categories (gadgets, utensils, bar tools).
• Carlisle FoodService Products: Manufacturer and distributor of foodservice supplies, smallwares, and kitchen tools. Comparable to HIC's commercial/foodservice business: overlapping product categories and channel overlap with restaurant and institutional buyers.
• Webstaurant Store: Largest direct-to-operator foodservice and restaurant supply retailer/wholesaler in the US. Closely comparable to HIC: similar product breadth across cooking tools, baking, and smallwares; B2B-first model; broad SKU coverage rather than category specialization.
• Tundra Restaurant Supply: Wholesale foodservice equipment and supplies distributor serving restaurants and commercial kitchens. Comparable to HIC on the foodservice side: overlapping categories (cooking tools, utensils, smallwares) and B2B wholesale model.

Broad incumbents

• OXO (Helen of Troy): Major consumer kitchen tools brand owned by Helen of Troy, distributed across grocery, mass, and specialty retail. Comparable as a competing kitchenware brand at retail, though OXO is a single consumer brand rather than a multi-brand wholesale distributor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/haroldimportco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HaroldImportCompany/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/HaroldImportCompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/hickitchen?igsh=Zmh0djNhcmFrbW03&utm_source=qr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harold-import-company-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harold Import Company