Our History

Above: Americraft owner and president, Bryan Hurley, assists his father during an awards banquet in the early 1980's.

The Hurley Family — Making American History

In 1970 David & Vickie Hurley first marveled at the wonders of waterless cookware. Little known to the Hurleys at the time, they had discovered a cooking method with which they would make history.  But it wasn’t the health and environmental benefits that first inspired the Hurleys to pursue a business that would consistently grow over a 40-year time span. They lived in a house with no running water. Back then, cooking without water was a practical necessity, not a luxury.

David Hurley was amazed by the way food tasted when it wasn’t being diluted by water. He discovered that food is naturally endowed with remarkable flavor and that vitamins and minerals essential to good health are often lost in conventional cooking methods like boiling, frying and grilling. Impressed by this and the energy conservation of waterless cooking technology, David was determined to make it his business to bring this product into mainstream America.

Inspired, David started his own distributorship with the West Bend Company breaking sales records beginning with selling his first 11 sets of waterless cookware in one week. His enterprise was off to a great start, as was his career as a successful entrepreneur in America. David created an engaging sales technique which spoke to customers directly, one on one, at state and county fairs. He proved that genuine concern for customers, as well as their families,  and American workers pays off in many ways.

David's distributorship was always a family affair. His wife, Vickie managed the office affairs and his son, Bryan, traveled with him learning the business from a very young age. Bryan eventually developed his own cookware distributorship and continued the Hurley family business.

In 2004 when many American factories were shutting down and outsourcing grew considerably more popular, Bryan decided to build his own factory to support his and David's direct sales cookware businesses. The motivation being that they didn't want to explain to their customers that their product was being manufactured overseas. This is when Americraft was born.

Americraft was able to employ many of the men and women who'd been let go from some of the largest cookware manufacturers in the country. Their knowledge and expertise was invaluable. With their help, Americraft began manufacturing product that incorporates tradition while updating the process and adding new features and benefits.

Today, Americraft has expanded our direct sales business as well as offering retail brands of cookware and bakeware. We manufacture several different types of cookware to offer clients and consumers the best possible cooking solution for their situation. Bryan Hurley has taken the reigns and has been recognized for growing Americraft to be the largest, and greenest, family-owned cookware companies in America.