Ooni (company) facts for kids
|
Formerly
|
Uuni |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Kristian Tapaninaho and Darina Garland |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Products | Multi-fuel pizza ovens and range of other cooking equipment |
| Brands | Ooni |
Ooni is a company that makes cool outdoor pizza ovens. Their main office is in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the UK. The ovens are designed in Scotland, but they are made in China. In 2012, Ooni created the world's first portable pizza oven that used wood pellets for fuel. They are known for making super-hot outdoor pizza ovens that people can use at home.
The Story of Ooni
Ooni was started in 2012 by a husband and wife team. Their names are Kristian Tapaninaho, who is from Finland, and Darina Garland.
Kristian invented the world's first portable and affordable wood-fired oven. This oven could cook pizzas and other foods that need really high heat. It could get as hot as 500 °C (932 °F)! Ooni has won several awards for their great products. One award was the Retailers’ Choice Award at Glee Birmingham in 2015.
Awesome Ooni Products
The very first Ooni oven was launched in 2012 on a website called Kickstarter. Kickstarter helps people get money to make new products. Since then, Ooni has launched many other products using similar websites.
Ooni has made several different versions of their original oven. One of their current models is called the Fyra 12. This oven uses wood pellets for fuel. It can heat up to 500 °C (932 °F) in just 10 minutes. Then, it can cook a 12-inch Neapolitan-style pizza in only 60 seconds!
In April 2017, Ooni launched a bigger oven called the Ooni Pro. They used another crowdfunding website called Indiegogo for this. The Ooni Pro is a "quad-fueled" outdoor pizza oven. This means it can use four different types of fuel. It can cook 16-inch pizzas using wood, charcoal, gas, or wood pellets. The Indiegogo campaign for the Ooni Pro raised over $1 million! The Ooni Pro was ready for customers in November 2017.
On February 26, 2019, Ooni introduced the Ooni Koda. This is a gas-powered portable pizza oven. It can also reach 500 °C (932 °F) and cook pizzas in 60 seconds. The Ooni Koda won some cool awards. It got the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association 2019 VESTA Award for Best Innovative Product. It also won the National Hardware Show Retailer's Choice Award in 2019. It was even a finalist at the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show Awards.
On August 27, 2019, Ooni launched a new Kickstarter campaign for the Ooni Karu.
On March 4, 2020, Ooni introduced the Ooni Koda 16. Around this time, Ooni started adding numbers to their oven names. These numbers show the size of pizza that each oven can cook.
On June 16, 2021, Ooni launched the Ooni Karu 16. This oven became the first pizza oven to be "Recommended for Domestic Use" by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). This group is very important for real Neapolitan pizza!
On March 2, 2023, Ooni introduced the Ooni Karu 12G. This was the first time they used a letter after the model number. The "G" means it has special features, like using gas more efficiently.
Ooni's Team and Offices
Today, Ooni has about 350 people working for them. Their main office is in Edinburgh, Scotland. They also have offices in Austin, Texas in the USA, and Bonn, Germany. Plus, they have staff in other countries around the world.
Why the Name Change?
On July 17, 2018, the company officially changed its name. It used to be called Uuni, but now it's Ooni. The word 'Uuni' actually means 'oven' in the Finnish language.
