Etter distillery able to sell its products in London's Mayfair

Swiss Quality UK is the name of a London-based organisation which promotes the marketing of Swiss products in the United Kingdom and which has been doing so for five years now. Among the firms which benefit is the Etter Soehne distillery of Zug.

As Christoph Burgdorfer, a 39-year-old co-founder of Swiss Quality UK, explained, he felt it would be a good idea to help the increasing number of Swiss companies trading in the UK, both big and small, develop their businesses by providing them with a boost in digital support. Hence it is through this platform, based in north London, that Swiss companies can exchange ideas with each other to discuss such matters as premises, services and products and perhaps even organise events, with Burgdorfer adding that, the more companies which join, the better.

Among the firms already involved are the Ricola herbal sweets company, the Tibits vegetarian restaurant chain and the Jura coffee and accessories business. As mentioned, the Etter Soehne AG company of Zug is also on board and has been for the past four years in fact. The firm proudly describes itself as one of the leading fruit spirit distilleries in Switzerland.

When asked about the Swiss Quality UK platform, Gabriel Galliker-Etter, the managing director and head of exports at the distillery (on the right in the photograph), said how very much Swiss people who lived abroad enjoyed being able to obtain their products, as they represented a form of nostalgia, adding that the company had been seeking to gain a foothold in the lucrative British alcohol market since the Nineties. “As a company, we were impressed by all the umbrella organisation Swiss Quality UK had to offer. It is of great benefit having a partner in London who knows the market there and who can help with contacts.”

The 43-year-old went on to mention that Swiss fruit spirits were not that very well known in England, but once they have been tasted, more is wanted. Ever since 1890 the company has promoted the Swiss origin of its products, a great advantage in a market where history and tradition play a pivotal role. “Everyone is astonished by how much fruit goes into the making of just one bottle, yet the distil is as clear as water with a strong aroma,” he said.

The Etter distillery now has as many as 19 of its products, from kirsch to Poire Williams, on the shelves of the renowned Hedonism Wines store in Davies St in Mayfair. “It is not so much that we are focused on quantity, but we do look to marketing in the right places,” he said.

As to the forthcoming exiting of the United Kingdom from the EU, Burgdorfer and his business partner Sidela Leon are taking it all in a most relaxed Swiss way. “It may well be that it will be more expensive to import Swiss goods after 29 March, but we feel Switzerland and the United Kingdom will develop even closer ties with both countries not being members of the EU.”