kitchen utensil
A kitchen utensil is a small hand held tool used for food preparation. Common kitchen tasks include cutting food items to size, heating food on an open fire or on a stove, baking, grinding, mixing, blending, and measuring; different utensils a ...
s. Originally a private company, Zyliss is now a brand owned by
DKSH
DKSH, also known as DiethelmKellerSiberHegner, is a Swiss holding company specialising in market expansion services, e.g. outsourcing. Although its headquarters is in Zurich, DKSH is deeply rooted in communities all across the Asia Pacific regio ...
, a Swiss
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
.
History
Zyliss was founded by trained bicycle mechanic, Karl Zysset (1907—1998) in 1951.Work: ''Karl Zysset und sein Blitzhacker'' workzeitung.ch; retrieved 14 August 2012. The names ''Zyliss'' is based on a combination of the founder's surname and the town of
Lyss
Lyss () is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2011, the former municipality of Busswil bei Büren was merged with Lyss.
Timeline
In 1982, the company was sold to two investors who in turn sold the operation in 1985 to the Diethelm Keller Holding Group, now DKSH.
In 2001, Zyliss partnered with the design firm,
IDEO
IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, environ ...
to develop a series of kitchen products that have gone on to see worldwide success.
In 2003, the company reduced its number of employees from 105 to 80 and the company's management announced that the production site of Zyliss would be relocated. After a protest in Switzerland the move was cancelled. Thirty staff of the fifty in the Swiss team moved to China during the mid-2000s. The headquarters were also moved to Zurich in December 2005.
In 2008, Zyliss partnered with global design firm,
RKS Design
RKS Design is a California design firm and innovation Consultancy firm, consultancy founded in 1980 by industrial designers, Ravi Sawhney. The company designs and develops consumer, medical, and industrial products, as well as user interfaces, and ...
, to develop a new brand language including the Red Dot-winning salad spinner.
In 2006, the company, Zyliss AG, was
delisted
In corporate finance, a listing refers to the company's shares being on the list (or board) of stock that are officially traded on a stock exchange. Some stock exchanges allow shares of a foreign company to be listed and may allow dual listing, su ...
and was consolidated into DKSH. Today, Zyliss is operated by DKB Household Switzerland AG, the household utensil
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of DKSH. This subsidiary currently has 120 employees and in addition to Zyliss they also operate the brand Cole & Mason (salt & pepper grinders and herb and spice tools) and the appliance brands Koenig and Turmix.
Inventions
Three notable inventions have been developed by Zyliss including the "Susi"
garlic press
A garlic press, also known as a garlic crusher, is a kitchen utensil to crush garlic cloves efficiently by forcing them through a grid of small holes, usually with some type of piston. Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of ...
, the
salad spinner
A salad spinner, also known as a salad tosser, is a kitchen tool used to wash and remove excess water from salad greens. It uses centrifugal force to separate the water from the leaves, enabling salad dressing to stick to the leaves without dil ...
, and an onion chopper. The Susi garlic press has an accompanying tool cleaner, and has been produced since the mid-20th century. The company also began creating the Zyliss vise (a home improvement tool) in the 1970s and has sold a slicing
mandoline
file:Cooking Mandolin with Carrot.jpg, A mandoline used for slicing a carrot
A mandoline (US, ) or mandolin (British, /ˌmandəˈlɪn/, /ˈmandəlɪn/, /ˈmandl̩ɪn/), is a culinary utensil used for slicing and for cutting Julienning, juliennes ...
. The company has worked with
IDEO
IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, environ ...
on projects including the salad spinner, specifically on the aesthetic and visual components.