Kenkel Hardshell Nutcracker out of necessity when his elderly father found it difficult to harvest his black walnuts.  Recovering from a stroke, William Kenkel could no longer muster enough force to crack the nutshells without destroying the nutmeat in the process.

Birth of a Company
The new nutcracker worked so well that soon Michael was getting requests for his nutcracker from neighboring farmers and everyone urged him to make it more widely available.  Kenkel, Inc. was born and has been selling hardshell nutcrackers through various catalogs, websites, and general stores for over 25 years.