La Cornue ranges are made by La Cornue, a French manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone, just outside Paris.
The brand is known for handcrafted, made to order ranges with vaulted ovens, a design dating back to the world’s first convection oven.
La Cornue is now part of Composition Brands, formerly known as Middleby Residential Kitchen, a portfolio of luxury kitchen brands majority owned by investment firm 26North Partners.
Knowing who actually builds a La Cornue range helps buyers understand why the brand commands prices that can exceed 50,000 dollars per unit.
This article covers who owns La Cornue, where its ranges are manufactured, the brand’s ownership history, and answers to common questions about the company.
So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Who Makes La Cornue Ranges?
La Cornue ranges are made by the company La Cornue, founded in 1908 by Albert Dupuy, a Parisian herbalist and perfumer who built the world’s first convection oven.
Dupuy named his creation after the French word cornue, referring to the gas refining system that powered the original design, and the company has produced three core oven lines over its history: Château, CornuFé, and CornuChef.
The company stayed family owned for more than a century before changing hands as part of a larger luxury kitchen group.
Who Owns La Cornue Today?
La Cornue was purchased by the American Middleby Corporation in 2015 and operated for a decade as part of Middleby’s residential kitchen division alongside Viking.
In February 2026, Middleby completed a transaction selling a 51 percent stake in that residential kitchen business to an affiliate of investment firm 26North Partners, with Middleby retaining a 49 percent non-controlling interest.
That joint venture now operates as Composition Brands, which also owns Viking, AGA, Rangemaster, Novy, U-Line, Marvel, Lynx, and Kamado Joe.
Where Are La Cornue Ranges Made?
The flagship Château series is handcrafted entirely in La Cornue’s workshop in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone, France, where skilled metalworkers cut, bend, and weld stainless steel by hand.
The more accessible CornuFe series, by contrast, is manufactured in Birmingham, England, and is not built to order in the same way as the Château line.
Both lines preserve the brand’s signature vaulted oven geometry, which uses natural convection rather than a fan to circulate heat around food.
La Cornue vs Viking: How Do the Two Composition Brands Compare?
La Cornue and Viking now sit under the same Composition Brands ownership structure but occupy very different positions in the market.
La Cornue ranges are handmade in France with thousands of color and configuration options, while Viking builds its ranges in Greenwood, Mississippi, with a more standardized, production line approach.
Buyers seeking a bespoke heirloom piece tend to gravitate toward La Cornue, while those wanting a powerful American built range with shorter lead times typically choose Viking.
Why Do Chefs and Designers Choose La Cornue?
La Cornue ranges have been selected by chefs including Julia Child and Alice Waters for their own kitchens over the decades.
Roughly 90 percent of the brand’s sales now come from exports, with North America accounting for the largest single share at around 68 percent.
Buyers researching other appliance brands now connected through Composition Brands can also see how the portfolio compares to Monogram and Dacor, two other luxury kitchen brands with different ownership paths.
Frequently Asked Questions About La Cornue Ranges
Is La Cornue still made in France?
Yes, the Château series is handcrafted entirely in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone, France, while the CornuFe series is manufactured in Birmingham, England.
Does Middleby still own La Cornue?
Middleby sold a 51 percent controlling stake in its residential kitchen business, including La Cornue, to 26North Partners in February 2026.
Middleby retains a 49 percent non-controlling interest in the new joint venture, called Composition Brands.
Why is La Cornue so expensive?
La Cornue ranges are handcrafted to order with up to 8,000 configuration options, which requires significantly more skilled labor than mass produced ranges.
What brands are part of Composition Brands?
Composition Brands includes La Cornue, Viking, AGA, Rangemaster, Novy, U-Line, Marvel, Lynx, Kamado Joe, and several other residential kitchen brands.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.