Mirro Aluminum Company

The Mirro Aluminum Company was an aluminum cookware company that existed in Manitowoc, Wisconsin from 1909 to 2003. It was colloquially referred to as simply Mirro.

History

Founding - 1940

The roots of the company can be traced to the founding of three companies: the Aluminum Manufacturing Company founded by Joseph Koenig in Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1895; the Manitowoc Aluminum Novelty Company, founded in neighboring Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Henry Vits in 1898; and the New Jersey Aluminum Company founded in 1890 in Newark, New Jersey. In 1909, the three companies were merged, and the resulting company was renamed the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company. It was headquartered in Manitowoc and headed by Vits as president and Koenig as vice president. In 1910, a $200,000 deal between George Vits and the eastern capitolists, all offices and manufacturing were moved to Manitowoc.

The company received its first government contract in 1911, winning an $80,000 contract to build aluminum canteens for the army that was developed by Joseph Koenig. Koening filed for a patent in April 1911 and was granted patent US1062716 in May 1913.