Mabe (company)

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Mabe is a Mexican company that designs, makes, and sells appliances—like refrigerators and stoves—to more than 70 countries. It’s based in Mexico City and was started in 1946 by Egon Mabardi and Francisco Berrondo, two Spanish refugees who fled the Spanish Civil War. At first, Mabe made kitchen furniture, and in the 1950s it began producing gas ranges and refrigerators.

In 1986, Mabe formed a joint venture with General Electric (GE) to supply the U.S. market, with GE owning about 48% of Mabe. By the mid-1990s, most gas ranges and refrigerators imported into the United States were designed and built by Mabe, and 95% of those sold under GE’s name were designed at Mabe’s plant in San Luis Potosí. Domestically, Mabe controlled about half of the Mexican market, and in Latin America it held around 70% of home appliances.

The company grew through regional partnerships, and strong sales in Latin America helped it weather the peso crisis in 1995. In 2016, GE sold its GE Appliances business to Haier, a deal that included GE’s 48.4% stake in Mabe.

Today, Mabe operates as a private company with about 20,000 employees and roughly $4 billion in revenue. In Latin America, it distributes products under the GE brand and several regional names, alongside its own brand.