Word: zojirushi
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...tough living on a rice diet. But for Zojirushi, a Japanese kitchen-gadget maker, grains have been golden. The company specializes in rice cookers that fetch as much as $1,000. Its high-end devices, which look more like computers than pots, have enticed the class of techie epicures who like $10,000 stoves and fridges. With a series of innovations - from induction-heating advances to sleek, vacuum-sealed containers designed to serve rice at its most succulent, Zojirushi has cooked up a following that yields $600 million in annual sales...
Founded in 1918, Zojirushi long relied on Japan for the bulk of its sales. But as the recession tamps down luxury spending, competitors' cheaper models are making inroads against Zojirushi's luxury offerings. So Zojirushi has rolled out a wider range of tricked-out kitchen tools - from oddly small bread machines to too-smart toasters and wired teapots - that have allowed the company to expand sales overseas and well beyond rice. (See pictures of what the world eats...