It's difficult to buy American-made small kitchen appliances these days. That's one reason that it's refreshing to know that there are companies like Vitamix that make all of their blenders and other products in the United States at their world headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

And even though Vitamix comes out with brand new products every year, they have made a commitment to produce every single one of them - both household and commercial - right here in America as well. That's a commitment that tends to make a consumer patriot proud.

The history behind this American-owned company is quite compelling with the first Vitamix machine being made way back in 1937. Shortly after the television was introduced, the founder of Vitamix made "blender" a household word with his television commercials.

Through the years, Vitamix machines have been improved and updated, and now feature more-efficient motors and durable BPA-free containers. Other features include a seven year warranty, a new high-efficiency radial cooling fan, and a built-in thermal protection system to prevent overload and burnout.

The latest Vitamix offering - the Vitamix 5200 - performs 35 kitchen tasks without attachments. It chops, grinds, whips, blends, freezes, cooks, stirs, purees and a whole lot more. And get this: The blade speed varies from 11 mph to an unbelievable 240 mph!

You can learn more about the versatile Vitamix machines on their website at www.vitamix.com, where you can get answers to every question you might be able to think of and more, like this one: How can the same machine cook soups AND freeze ice cream?

After meeting the CEO of the company recently, I knew I wanted to write an article about the company, and especially after I discovered I had not listed the ownership of the company as American owned in the latest edition of How Americans Can Buy American.

Concerning this admitted mistake, keep in mind that there is a "corrections and amplifications" section every day in the Wall Street Journal, which has an army of writers and researchers. The army behind How Americans Can Buy American consists of just me - an army of one researching over 20,000 different American and foreign products and services. So there is bound to be a mistake or two.

So if you have a copy of How Americans Can Buy American, or even if you don't, the important thing to know is that Vitamix is a great American-owned company with a great and long history that has resulted in the impressive success they enjoy today.

And no doubt they enjoy that success because of their commitment to engineering and producing great American-made products for both household and commercial use. These days, you'll find companies that make their commercial products here, but not their household products, or vice versa. That's not Vitamix, but it is yet another reason Vitamix is such a compelling company.

Vitamix is also known for their commitment to customer service. Should you have any issues or questions regarding your American-made Vitamix machine, you can call them in Cleveland, Ohio on their toll free line, and they are even open on Saturdays to answer those calls!

So if you take pride in supporting privately-owned American companies that distribute in several countries (Vitamix distributes in over 70!) but only produce in one - the United States of America - then I would encourage you to check out Vitamix.

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