Copper's 'Tesla of Induction Stoves' Enters Physical Retail

Wirecutter called Copper's Charlie induction range the "Tesla of induction stoves" in 2025. Now the startup is moving beyond DTC into physical retail, with distribution in seven Royal Green-network showrooms across New York, New Jersey, and Florida, where Royal Green operates under the Good Deals banner in Florida.

Copper has sold what the brand called "a few thousand" units through direct-to-consumer channels and to rental-building operators. The Charlie's distinguishing feature is an internal battery that lets the full-size induction range plug into a standard 120-volt outlet. The outlet recharges the battery, which supplies the power used for cooking.

That addresses the biggest barrier to induction adoption: most full-size induction ranges require a 240-volt outlet that many homes and apartments lack, and installing one can be expensive or impractical. Regulatory pressure is also pushing consumers away from gas. New York state has banned the installation of gas stoves in most new buildings, and dozens of U.S. cities have enacted similar measures.

Beyond the workaround

Sam Calisch, CEO and co-founder of Copper, said diehard gas-stove users are finally coming around to induction.

"There's pretty strong interest from people that have been loyal to gas for a long time, [saying], 'Oh wow, induction is here, and induction is ready now,'" Calisch told Retail Brew.

He pushed back on framing the battery as merely a workaround. The battery-assisted stove also works during power outages, he noted. Because the Charlie's cooktop draws first from its battery rather than directly from the outlet's alternating current, it avoids the noise problem common to induction cooktops.

"Induction cooktops can hum loudly when you cook," Wirecutter explained in its review. "You can get used to the noise, but many people really dislike it. The Charlie did not hum."

The battery also unlocks off-grid demos, a marketing advantage for a previously DTC-focused product.

"We can go out to farmers markets and music festivals and street fairs and actually put people in front of it," Calisch said. "That's been an extremely powerful tool for us."

In-person demos are the reason Copper moved into retail distribution in the first place.

"People want to feel it, touch it, get a sense of it before making a purchase, so we're really excited to partner with Royal Green," Calisch said.

Showroom economics

Royal Green has seen induction ranges grow from about 20% of range sales at its tri-state stores three years ago to 40% today, according to Stuart Stone, chief commercial officer at Royal Green Appliance Companies.

Unlike conventional induction ranges, the Charlie can run at full power with the electrical setup already in place at Royal Green's Manhattan showroom. "It was a no-brainer to put it live when I don't need to do any work," Stone said. "We just plug it in, and we're ready to roll."

Stone plans to keep the floor models busy, regularly baking cookies in them.

At $5,999, the Charlie sits between mainstream and luxury induction ranges. It's more expensive "if you compare it to a GE Profile" but "if you compare it to a Wolf or a Thermador, it's underpriced," Stone said.

The partnership also hands Copper a seasoned last-mile operation for delivery and installation.

"It's much easier for me logistically to take care of delivering, installing, [and] taking the old customer's product away," Stone said. "They're my guys. They work for me so if they don't do the job they say they're going to do, they're not going to be delivering anymore."

Stone recently visited a Royal Green showroom on Long Island days before the Charlie arrived. He overheard a salesperson telling a customer who wanted to replace a gas range with induction, but who only had a typical 110-volt outlet, that nothing could be done.

"The salesperson said, 'No, there's nothing you can do. There's no such thing as 110 induction,'" Stone recalled. "I go, 'Oh, but there is.'"

Stone pulled up the model on a computer and invited the shopper back to see it in person a few days later.

"It fit their bill, and they bought it right there."

With induction now at 40% of range sales in Royal Green's tri-state stores, the showroom channel gives Copper a way to convert those customers on the spot — including the ones whose kitchens can only offer a standard outlet.

Source: Retail Brew