It was founded in 1934 by George Foerstner as the Electrical Equipment Co. in Middle Amana, Iowa, to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.

[4] In 1950 the company was sold to a group of investors, including its founder, and became Amana Refrigeration, Inc.[5] In 1954, it began making air conditioners.

[6] Amana was acquired in 1965 by Raytheon,[7] which had invented the microwave oven in 1947, and introduced the commercial Radarange Model 1611 in 1954.

[5] In 1967, Amana introduced a consumer model of the Radarange, the first popular microwave designed for home use.

[5] Amana has since expanded into manufacturing a variety of other appliances, including furnaces, ovens, countertop ranges, dishwashers, and clothes washers and dryers.