The company’s current official store identifies the legal entity as 주식회사 에이치씨컴퍼니 (HC Company) and lists its headquarters in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do.[3]

Happycall is essentially a Korean cookware innovation company that evolved into a comprehensive consumer brand. Rather than competing solely on conventional frying pans and pots, the company’s historical strategy focused on developing cookware with distinctive mechanisms or materials. Its signature invention was the double-sided frying pan, which became one of the brand’s defining products.[1]

The company describes itself as having developed the world’s first product in which both sides function as frying pans. It subsequently expanded into categories such as diamond-coated frying pans and IH vacuum pots.[1] Historically, Happycall has marketed itself less as a luxury label and more as a technology- and engineering-oriented Korean kitchenware brand.

Founding and early development

Happycall was established in 1999. Its founder, Lee Hyun-sam, came from the cookware industry and focused heavily on improving kitchenware through engineering and research and development. Contemporary accounts describe his leadership as emphasizing manufacturing quality and product innovation.[4]

This early development culminated in the launch of the double-sided pressure pan. Following its domestic success, the company expanded into export markets including the United States, China, and Iran.[1]

The Happycall Double Pan

The product most responsible for Happycall’s fame is the Happycall Double Pan. Unlike a conventional frying pan with a single cooking surface, the Double Pan consists of two opposing cooking surfaces that close together. While the concept resembles a hinged sandwich maker, it is specifically designed for stovetop cooking.

Early models incorporated a silicone sealing and pressure structure, allowing the closed pan to retain heat, steam, and moisture more effectively. This design offered several functional advantages:

• Easier flipping of food without utensils
• Reduced oil and grease splatter
• Better retention of moisture
• Reduced smoke and odor
• More enclosed cooking environment
• Potentially faster cooking times
• Simplified preparation of foods such as fish, meat, and pancakes

The product addressed a common household challenge: cooking messy foods without soiling the kitchen. By enclosing the food, the pan reduced splattering and eliminated the need for manual flipping, particularly when cooking fish. This established a core brand philosophy where the cookware adapts the cooking process to the user, rather than requiring the user to adapt their technique to the pan.

Diamond Frying Pan

Following the success of the Double Pan, Happycall diversified its portfolio with the Diamond Frying Pan, launched in the 2000s.[1] This product combined non-stick performance, durability, even heat distribution, and premium styling. It became another major commercial success, with the company reporting approximately ₩250 billion in cumulative sales through 2014.[3] The Diamond Frying Pan helped transform Happycall from a single-product novelty into a broader non-stick cookware brand.

High-speed blenders and appliances

In the mid-2010s, Happycall entered the high-speed blender market with its Exlim (엑슬림) line. By 2017, Korean media reported that Exlim had achieved approximately 570,000 cumulative units sold, establishing the company as a significant player in the small appliance sector. This expansion demonstrated the application of Happycall’s product-development philosophy to electrical kitchen appliances. Today, the official store continues to list blenders and small appliances alongside traditional cookware.[3]

Happycall’s historical product philosophy is summarized by three core principles: Creative, Pride, and Quality. These represent a commitment to developing convenient and durable products, adhering to honest manufacturing processes, and maintaining uncompromising quality standards.[1]

The company maintains a strong R&D orientation and states it has made approximately 300 intellectual-property filings. Its portfolio includes 58 patents, 62 utility models, 89 designs, and 73 trademarks.[1]

Domestic growth and home shopping

By the early 2000s, Happycall had grown from a young manufacturer into one of Korea’s prominent domestic kitchenware companies. A critical distribution channel was television home shopping, which proved ideal for the Double Pan because its benefits could be visually demonstrated in real-time. By 2003, the company generated approximately ₩45 billion in sales, largely driven by this product.

International presence

Happycall began exporting early in its history to markets including China, Iran, and the United States.[1] By 2016, products were sold across 22 countries, spanning Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, North America, Japan, and China. The company also established overseas operations in the United States, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. International distributors continue to market the brand emphasizing its Korean origin and manufacturing heritage.[5]

Ownership transition and modernization

In 2016, founder Lee Hyun-sam sold the company to investment firms EastBridge Partners and Goldman Sachs in a transaction valued at approximately ₩180 billion.[4] At the time, annual sales were reportedly around ₩200 billion. This marked a transition from a founder-led cookware company to a professionally managed consumer-goods business.

Post-acquisition, the company invested in new materials, launching the Crocodile frying pan in 2017, which incorporated graphene-related technology. However, facing intense competition from international brands and lower-priced manufacturers, sales declined to ₩109.1 billion by 2019.

2022 Rebranding to HC

In June 2022, Happycall announced a new corporate and brand identity:[2]

• Corporate Identity: Changed from Happycall to HC Company
• Brand Identity: Changed from HAPPYCALL to HC

The rebranding aimed to evolve the company from a cookware-centric identity to a broader kitchen and home-appliance brand. The new HC logo retained elements of the original mark, including the letters H and C and the star symbol. The letters were given expanded conceptual meanings including Happy, Human, Healthy, Heartful, Cuisine, Connection, and Comfort. The new slogan, “Happy Curator, HC,” positions the brand as a curator of modern kitchen products rather than solely a frying pan manufacturer.[3]

Despite the change, the Happycall name remains deeply embedded in consumer identity. The official shopping site continues to operate as the HAPPYCALL Official Store, and products are frequently marketed under the combined “HC Happycall” designation. International distributors similarly use “HC Happycall” to bridge the heritage name with the new identity.[5]

As of 2026, the company’s official Korean store offers a wide array of kitchen products, including frying pans, pots, double pans, cooking utensils, blenders, rice cookers, coffee machines, and other small appliances.[3] Recent product developments include full-induction cookware designed for energy efficiency and updated blender models, reflecting a strategy that combines cookware heritage with materials engineering and lifestyle-oriented small appliances.[3]

Brand family

Happycall has historically operated multiple sub-brands:

• Happycall / HAPPYCALL: The flagship consumer brand associated with cookware and the Double Pan.
• HC: The master brand introduced in 2022 covering cookware and appliances.
• Chefel / 셰팰: A separate cookware and lifestyle brand, with the name derived from “Chef” and “Elegance.”[1]
• Exlim: The brand associated with the high-speed blender line.

Happycall is significant in the Korean market for demonstrating that a domestic brand could compete against established European and Japanese cookware manufacturers. During its rise, the premium segment was dominated by imports; Happycall differentiated itself through Korean manufacturing, product engineering, aggressive home-shopping marketing, and distinctive design. The company reports cumulative sales of more than 20 million Double Pan units.[3]

Unlike brands associated with haute cuisine or luxury tableware, Happycall’s image is rooted in practical problem-solving for everyday cooking. Its competitive advantages include:

• Technological differentiation: Creating distinct cooking mechanisms like the Double Pan rather than iterating on standard designs.
• Korean engineering: Emphasizing domestic R&D and “Made in Korea” manufacturing.[5]
• Non-stick specialization: Strong association with coating technology and easy-clean surfaces.
• Demonstration-friendly design: Products suited to visual retail environments.
• Value-oriented premium positioning: Occupying a middle ground between commodity cookware and ultra-luxury brands, justifying price through technology and convenience.

Earlier corporate milestones are documented by the company’s own history, while ownership transitions and rebranding events are corroborated by Korean business reporting.[1][2]

Readers should be aware that other unrelated companies use the name “Happycall” online, including businesses involved in cosmetic or pharmaceutical raw materials. The subject of this article is specifically the Korean cookware manufacturer founded in 1999, headquartered in Gimhae, and known for the Double Pan.

1. HappyCall
2. 해피콜, 제2 도약 위해 새 CI ‘HC컴퍼니’ 및 BI ‘HC’ 공표보도 자료 – HAPPYCALL 공식쇼핑몰
3. https://m.hcmall.co.kr
4. Lee Hyun-sam, founder of Happy Call (currently HC Company), a living myth in the kitchen goods indus.. – MK
5. About us – Happycall Australia