MT. PROSPECT, IL— Salton is taking George Foreman into a new realm of the kitchen with an agreement to market a high-tech countertop deep fryer under the Foreman brand. Salton recently entered a long-term worldwide exclusive licensing agreement with Synergy Worldwide to market and distribute the “Spin Fryer” under the George Foreman brand. The move marks the first non-grilling/roasting product to carry the George Foreman brand. The fryer is among the first planned entries to a promise by Salton officials to expand the George Foreman brand, which the company acquired in December 1999, into a wide range of food-related categories. Previously, Salton, under license by Foreman, has launched a series of top-selling indoor grills, as well as a countertop rotisserie oven and specialty stovetop cookware carrying the former heavyweight boxing champion’s name. The company also released a collection of George Foreman outdoor/indoor grills this past spring. The “Spin Fryer,” which is about the size of one of Salton’s Breadman bread machines, is designed to reduce the saturated fat content by approximately 52% when compared to existing consumer-deep fryers. The deep fryer combines vibrating ultrasonic frequencies and a patented 25-degree rotational basket for thorough deep frying through a blanching effect, according to Salton. The technology also delivers self-cleaning capabilities in less than four seconds. The “Spin Fryer” incorporates a touch-screen graphical user interface that offers consumers to program the frying operation, and to download software upgrades and retrieve recipes over the Internet. Synergy Worldwide has received several awards for its product, including the R&D Magazine “R&D 100 Award,” which recognizes the most significant 100 new products introduced each year, according to Salton. “We believe that the “Spin Fryer” will be a welcome addition to our ever-increasing selection of product offerings, and it also reinforces our philosophy of providing cutting-edge new products and technologies to our customers that promote healthy living,” said Leon Dreimann, Salton’s CEO. The Spin Fryer deal follows Salton’s previous agreement to market the Ultravection oven, which is slated to begin shipping in early 2001. Originally developed for commercial use, Ultravection simultaneously combines three methods of heat transfer— radiant, conduction and convection— to create “superheated” air subjected to high turbulence. By combining all three elements, the Ultravection method allows for greater cooking speed and moisture retention While a broad line of Ultravection-based countertop ovens is slated, the initial item is expected to be a 0.48-cubic-foot unit that can retail for $99.99. Salton at presstime did not announce the brand platform for the initial Ultravection launch, nor whether it would possibly carry the Foreman brand. Ultravection and the Foreman Spin Fryer are likely candidates for direct-response campaigns, which have fueled many Salton products, including George Foreman grills.
