Tapping into Swiss sweet-toothed nostalgia
It is not always easy for the Swiss abroad to find their favourite childhood chocolate bars or other specialist products like Rivella or Ovomaltine when they are thousands of miles from home. The Huber brothers, Dominik and Manuel, claim to offer an online solution.
“For me nothing beats sipping a Rivella [soft drink] or munching on Swiss sweets to help feel less home sick,” declares Verena, who lives in California, United States.
A growing number of nostalgic Swiss like Verena, seeking to indulge a sweet tooth or stay in touch with their homeland via Swiss food products, use the services of Swiss Food Box and My Swiss World.
The two small online companies were founded in 2015 by brothers Dominik and Manuel Huber. At the time, Dominik was living in Colombia, where he was studying economics and on the look-out for a new business idea.
A Lindt inspiration
As a regular customer at Lindt chocolate shops in the capital Bogota, he realised that other Swiss abroad probably had cravings for Swiss chocolate and other well-known childhood goodies.
After carrying out research and discovering that no such firms existed, he decided to launch Swiss Food Box together with his brother, who is an IT expert.
Their business concept is simple. Customers pay a monthly subscription, ranging from CHF19.95 ($21.87) to CHF59.95 ($65.70), for one of three different food boxes (Swiss chocolate pack, Swiss sweets or a classic Swiss food box). A customised selection is also possible.
In 2020, the brothers launched a second online company and site, My Swiss World, which offers Swiss specialities but without a monthly subscription.
Mountains of boxes
For several days a month, Dominik Huber’s flat is packed to the ceiling with boxes and food products.
“That’s why I don’t have much furniture,” he jokes.
The company sends around 300 monthly orders from Winterthur in northeast Switzerland. Last Christmas, they smashed the 500-mark. Around 60 individual food parcels (average CHF90) are also sent out each month.
Half of their customers live in the United States, while Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain represent around 30% of their market. The remaining 20% are based mainly in Europe.
“Initially, most of the communication with customers was in English. These countries have the largest communities of Swiss abroad,” explains Dominik. “The further away from Switzerland you live, the harder it is to find these products.”
Limited choice
Swiss Food Box and My Swiss World do not have partnership deals with food brands or distribution firms. Dominik buys the products in specialist shops or directly from manufacturers. He also takes advantage of special offers in supermarkets.
“Sometimes staff look at me slightly strangely when they see me emptying the shelves of crisps or chocolate,” he says.
Their online stores do not offer meat or alcohol as it is forbidden to import them into many countries. Imported cheese must also be made using pasteurised milk.
“You have to be careful with expiry dates,” adds Dominik.
Well-known customers
Since their launch, the business has become a success and the young entrepreneurs have many loyal customers.
“One woman who lives in Chicago has been signed up since the first month we started the food boxes,” says Dominik.
Over time, he has got to know many of their customers, like a woman in the US who regularly orders Ovomaltine products.
The most popular products ordered are mustard, paprika crisps, Cailler chocolate bars and mayonnaise.
“For over a year, one of our customers in Canada ordered just mayonnaise – six or seven tubes a month – via our personalised service,” says Dominik.
Keys to success
The Swiss, who is almost 30 years old, manages to live solely from the online business. His brother has another job as a consultant. But they get help from their father, who is retired.
“Swiss Food Box has become a small family company – 100% DIY,” says Dominik.
This is probably one of the reasons for its success – a small, flexible firm that knows its customers well. Swiss Food Box doesn’t rent offices or storeroom space and it uses social media for targeted advertising.
And as for the competition, Dominik doesn’t seem too worried.
“We are working in a market that is too small for the big operators,” he says, referring to Swiss Post’s Swiss Authentic Shop, an online store for the Swiss abroad that closed last summer after only nine months.
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