CrushGrind was founded by Ken Muff Lassen, whose career began in Danish furniture design and later led him to help establish IKEA in Denmark. Wanting to stay hands-on with product development, Ken left IKEA in 1987 to pursue his own vision of creating high-quality, thoughtfully engineered household products.

His search for a durable, precision grinding mechanism took him to Japan, where he collaborated with ceramic manufacturers to develop what would become the CrushGrind mechanism — a long-lasting, Danish-engineered ceramic grinder now used by leading brands around the world.

During development, Ken also immersed himself in learning about spices and flavor—from their origins to how climate affects their character. This passion for both design and taste shaped CrushGrind into a brand dedicated to elevating everyday cooking through better tools and deeper appreciation of flavor.