We exist to make our customers successful while positively impacting a world in motion; as we improve the enjoyment of food and water for everyone.
With Antunes in your corner, you can expect success — but why? What makes our company so unique?
First, we’re proud to be family-owned and operated, with three generations currently working inside the company today. From our headquarters in Carol Stream, Illinois, we’ve grown to become a leading custom solutions provider of countertop cooking equipment and water filtration systems for the global foodservice market. At Antunes, we don’t just solve problems for our customers. We create the right solutions. That means offering innovative products of the highest quality, backed by our team of industry experts and our commitment to personal service. It’s what we’ve been doing for more than 60 years — and it’s what we continue to do every day for our customers around the world.
From our founding in 1955, August J. Antunes built our company on values that still inform our work to this day — principles like integrity, respect for people, excellence, passion and family. Those core values helped shape our company’s promise: to drive success for every customer — first by listening, then by delivering on our steadfast commitment to excellence. Today, Antunes continues to innovate, but it’s all about meeting the needs of our customers first. Our story began with the creation of a simple switch designed to solve a real-world challenge in the market — and new chapters of that story are written every day as our engineers and experts work together on the next great solution.
Our Values
We exist to make our customers successful while positively impacting the world.
Excellence
We continually pursue excellence. We expect every solution, product and service that we provide to consistently exceed the customers’ expectations. We are accountable.
People
We respect and trust each other. We value the diversity of our workforce. We invest in our team members. We believe in the worth of every individual and that the future of our company is dependent on these team members.
Integrity
We keep our word. We are ethical. We hold ourselves to a single high standard of integrity in everything we do.
Passion
We are passionate about building an enduring great company. By doing so, we serve all of our customers, team members, suppliers and the societies we touch.
Family
We are a privately held company that prides itself on being family owned and operated. We intend to stay that way.
Historical Highlights
1955
Founder August J. Antunes meets Jack Smith, and the two begin working together as manufacturer’s representatives, forming a new company.
1962
Following the passing of Jack Smith in 1960, August J. Antunes officially changes the company to A.J. Antunes & Co. August’s brother Jerry joins the company.
1963
A.J. Antunes & Co. begins representing EmberGlo and its line of broilers and steamers, working with McDonald’s to use EmberGlo steamers to warm buns for their fish filet sandwiches.
1964
A new safety regulation for industrial ovens creates the need for specialized air and gas switches. August develops the W-1 switch, the first product manufactured by A.J. Antunes & Co.
1970
August J. Antunes creates the circular hotdog grill and names it “Roundup.” That same year, the company enters the foodservice industry as an equipment manufacturer.
1977
The company’s growing manufacturing business leads A.J. Antunes & Co. to build its second facility in Addison, Illinois.
1979
August J. Antunes forms a new electronics division to make controls for the company’s expanding line of foodservice equipment.
1983
Glenn Bullock joins A.J. Antunes & Co.
1984
The success of the foodservice, switch and electronics business leads A.J. Antunes & Co. to build two more manufacturing areas in Addison, Illinois.
1990
August J. Antunes passes away on March 14, 1990. Team members, customers, distributors, representatives and business partners all mourn the loss of a truly great man who transformed the company into a global leader.
1997
A.J. Antunes & Co. develops the VCT-200, the first 10-second commercial toaster, to support McDonald’s new ‘Made For You’ production system.
1999
The company condenses its operations from five separate buildings into a brand new facility in Carol Stream, Illinois.