CNA International Inc.

What does CNA International own?

CNA International owns the Magic Chef trademark outright, plus the Magic Chef Commercial and Norpole brands. It operates as MC Appliance Corporation from Wood Dale, Illinois.

Is CNA International publicly traded?

No. CNA International is a privately held company and publishes no financial statements. Third-party estimates place revenue in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

When did CNA acquire Magic Chef?

CNA began licensing Magic Chef in 1996 and purchased the trademark outright from Whirlpool Corporation in 2010. Whirlpool no longer has any ownership interest in the brand.

Where is CNA International headquartered?

CNA International is headquartered at 940 N Central Avenue in Wood Dale, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It maintains a second warehouse in Carson, California, and offices in Shenzhen, China, and South Korea.

Who founded CNA International?

CNA International was founded in 1992 as an import-export distribution company. The founding principals are not widely publicized; the company operates as MC Appliance Corporation.

Does CNA make its own appliances?

No. CNA designs and specifies products in Illinois and contracts manufacturing to factories in Asia, with quality-control engineers in Shenzhen and South Korea. It is a brand and distribution company rather than a manufacturer.

CNA International was founded in 1992 as an import-export and distribution business in Illinois. Early operations centered on sourcing appliances and consumer goods from Asian manufacturers for the North American market.

The defining event came in 1996, when the company began licensing the Magic Chef name for microwaves, compact refrigerators, and small kitchen appliances. The license gave CNA a heritage American brand recognized by consumers without the capital cost of building one, and Magic Chef products spread through mass retail channels.

When Whirlpool acquired Maytag in 2006, Magic Chef's small appliance business sat inside a portfolio Whirlpool did not prioritize. CNA, already the brand's largest licensee, purchased the Magic Chef trademark outright from Whirlpool in 2010, converting a licensing relationship into permanent ownership.

Post-acquisition, CNA expanded the commercial side. It developed Norpole into a dedicated commercial refrigeration brand and launched Magic Chef Commercial for foodservice cooking equipment. An outbound licensing program began in 2018, allowing partner companies to place the Magic Chef name on adjacent product categories.

International expansion followed selectively. In 2024, Erikson Consumer, the Canadian distributor, began carrying Magic Chef housewares across Canada, coinciding with the brand's 95th anniversary. The company maintains warehouses in Wood Dale, Illinois, and Carson, California, and customer service operations in both English and Spanish.

As a small appliance importer, CNA has issued periodic CPSC recalls on Magic Chef-branded products, including a 2010 recall of wine and beverage coolers for fire hazard. Better Business Bureau records show complaint volumes normal for its category. No major legal or regulatory controversies are on record.