Wed, Mar 27th 2024
Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG celebrates a streak of record sales, entering its 66th year with ambitious growth plans.
Last year, the company from Zurich Höngg sold more potato chips and snacks than ever before to mark its 65th anniversary. In the current year, the company wants to grow further and is investing in a new plant in Spreitenbach.
This is the eighth record turnover in a row. With an increase of 5 percent to 301 million sales, the company broke the 300 million mark for the first time in 2023.
According to the CEO, the success is due not only to the retail trade, but also to the food service and convenience sectors. Retail business accounts for around 70 percent of sales.
Zweifel processes around 27,000 tons of potatoes every year at the production site in Spreitenbach. They lose around two thirds of their weight during the frying process: around one kilo of potatoes is processed for a 380 gram packet of the popular paprika or natural chips.
Around 90 percent of the potatoes come from Switzerland, although there can be fluctuations depending on harvest conditions. For example, heavy rainfall can lead to heavy losses due to rot. The most important growing region is the Bernese Seeland.
In future, the company wants to produce even larger quantities of potato chips and snacks. CEO Zweifel is also expecting another sales record for 2024. Zweifel also plans to invest 40 million Swiss francs in a new snack production plant in Spreitenbach.
The aim is not only to expand capacity, but also to make production more efficient and sustainable. Construction is scheduled to start in summer 2024. The new “snack plant” is scheduled to start production in spring 2027.
The CEO also emphasises continuity for both Berger employees and customers. Investments in production at the Münsingen site are also planned for the current year. The plant near Bern is to become more efficient.
Zweifel’s paprika chips remain the most important sales driver, followed by the natural chips. However, the company does not provide exact figures. At Berger, the “Spitzbueb” is the best-selling product.
Zweifel achieves its highest sales during the summer months in the barbecue season – the company refers to this as the “bratwurst peak”. Another peak phase is the so-called “champagne peak” at the end of the year, when sales of potato chips are driven up by company events.
The Zweifel products continue to be sold mainly in Switzerland. For over a year now, however, Finland has also been added to the sales countries alongside Germany, Austria and France. The company estimates the number of employees at the three locations in Spreitenbach, Höngg and Münsingen at over 500.
©Keystone/SDA
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