Many consumers are loyal to brands that they know and trust. Apple versus Samsung, Coke versus Pepsi, and Nike versus Adidas; you’ve likely had a friendly (or heated!) debate with family and friends over any of these brands. Brand loyalty is important for customer retention — companies not only want to be well-known and recognizable, they want you to pick them over any and all competitors. 

Most Americans are also very patriotic; we love our country and we aren’t afraid to show it. As such, many of us like to buy products manufactured right here in the U.S. But it can be tough to know not only where a product is made, but if it’s even made by the company that’s on the label. When you buy a refrigerator from an American company like KitchenAid or GE, who is actually making that appliance, and where?

The answer is more complicated than you may think. GE Appliances was founded in 1907 and is still headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s an iconic brand known for its dependability, and was named the top Most Reliable Appliance Brand in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Appliance Reliability & Service Study. When you buy a GE appliance, however, you’re actually buying an appliance made by a Chinese company called Haier Smart Home, which also sells appliances under other recognizable names, including Hotpoint and GE Profile. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that your refrigerator or dishwasher was made in China.

GE Appliances is certainly not the only appliance company owned by a parent company. Whirlpool owns KitchenAid, Maytag, and Amana; and Electrolux owns Frigidaire. Many of these companies, including GE, are still headquartered in the U.S., so what does this mean when it comes to manufacturing? GE Appliances maintains that it’s committed to both American consumers and communities, with more than 15,500 team members and almost 98,000 “supported jobs” in the U.S. In addition to its global headquarters in Louisville, the company has manufacturing sites supporting appliances in Decatur, Alabama and Selmer, Tennessee, and many of its appliances are made right here in the U.S.

In mid-2025, GE Appliances announced a $490 million plan to move production of washing machines back to American soil. The move may be due in part to the Trump administration’s steep tariffs. The company will add 800 new manufacturing jobs in Louisville by 2027. Ultimately, if you prefer to buy American, GE Appliances should still make your list. Just keep an eye out for a “Made in the USA” label, and be sure to avoid labels with other wording, like “Assembled in the USA” or “Designed in the USA,” which may indicate that it contains imported parts or was made elsewhere. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has strict requirements for a “Made in the USA” label, including where the components are sourced and where the product is assembled.