Economic nostalgia: This is how the old Swiss brand Usego warms up

B2B: Büezer to Büezer

For Emanuel Steiner, husband of Daniela Steiner and co-founder of Felfel, the Usego brand represents the slogan “From Buezer to Büezer”, a kind of rustic B2B aimed at empowering hungry working men and women for business. While office listings often emphasize lighter fare, Usego takes a more rustic approach: “Ghackets with croissants, Bernese platters, Landjäger with garnish – classics of Swiss cuisine that fill you up cheaply and deliciously for around 10 francs.”

Emanuel Steiner says that the Usego brand that Felfel took over from the Swiss agricultural group Fenaco could create a mutual effect: “It is quite possible that we will also carry Fenaco’s traditional brands such as Ramseier juices or Sinalco. Fenaco is of course also an option as a customer.”

Usego will be revived from spring 2024

In a first step, Usego food refrigerators will be used in a pilot phase by three test customers in the greater Zurich area from spring 2024; It will be properly available in German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland from September 2024.

Emanuel Steiner says that, as a rule, companies with 50 to 700 employees will be considered customers of Felfel’s smart refrigerators. There is potential for around 1,000 Swiss manufacturing companies here, and “it would be great and good to get 500 of them as customers.”

Swiss catering pioneers target New York

On the occasion of Felfel’s tenth anniversary, the founders are also engaged in expanding abroad. Not to Baden-Württemberg or Vorarlberg, where Swiss entrepreneurs usually take a cautious first step, but across the lake to New York.

The fact that the first foreign pioneer was on the East Coast of the USA has to do with the CVs of the founding partners. Emanuel Steiner grew up in New York; Daniela Steiner lived in the Big Apple for six years. The innovative founding couple says they have a good network here.

Daniela Steiner says that in addition to customers in the US, Felfel will also consider the many Swiss companies that have branches there. Also because you can enter new areas: “From our perspective, there is no direct competition for our concept of smart refrigerators.” He considers the US launch ideal, especially in the post-Corona period: “Many companies are currently trying to bring their employees back to the office. “If employers make innovative investments to nourish their employees, that can be a good reason for people to come back.”

Felfel targets corporate clients in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut

The Swiss company sees its area of ​​operation as the tri-state area, meaning the US states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, within a two-hour radius on the east coast of the US.

The Steiners chose their New York headquarters in a prominent location in Manhattan: The headquarters is at 30 West 21st Street, two blocks from the iconic Flatiron Building. The camp is located in the New York borough of Brooklyn.

According to Emanuel Steiner, the startup starts with the typical Felfel Refrigerators, together with the coffee brand Gavetti and the local team of ten people. They take with them equipment, know-how and processes from Switzerland, as well as great courage to start: “We are confident that we will start work with our first customer as early as January 2024.”

“Take Swiss chocolate out of range”

Emanuel Steiner says regional terrorism will be the focus in the future when it comes to feeding US company employees: “Food is always a local thing, so we will source ingredients and food locally.”

With one small exception, as his wife Daniela Steiner points out: “Felfel relies on local sources in New York, but we might also smuggle a bar or two of Swiss chocolate into the range.”