MONROE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc., (VSAI) announced today the company will purchase an investment stake in Epicurean Cutting Surfaces, an innovative leader in cutting boards and kitchen tools manufactured in the USA. The partnership between the two companies is a culmination of many years of mutual respect for their shared commitment to innovation, quality and customer-first business values.
“Our complementary product assortments made this partnership a natural fit, however, product synergies alone don’t make for a successful business relationship,” said René Stutz, President and CEO of Victorinox Swiss Army North America. “Over the years, a mutual respect has developed between our two brands; and understandably so. We at VSAI have long admired Epicurean’s nimble innovation and fresh perspective, which is infused in everything they do. Likewise, our experience and 130-year history of growing a world-renown brand is appealing to Epicurean. But irrespective of the age of our brands, we share a commitment to quality – we do it right, or we don’t do it at all. That makes Epicurean exactly the kind of brand we want to work with.”
“High quality products, industry-leading innovation, and a brand we’re proud to stand behind – those are the tenets of the Epicurean brand that are also reflected in the way Victorinox Swiss Army has approached its business for more than 130 years. Having the opportunity to team up with a brand that’s been doing things that way with great success for more than a century only furthers our efforts. And now that our two companies are ‘officially’ partners we couldn’t be happier,” said Epicurean Cutting Surfaces co-founders Dave Benson, Greg Benson and Tony Ciardelli.
Both teams and offices will remain intact, and will operate in the manner they currently do. So what changes then, should one expect as a result of the investment deal? In a word, collaboration. Victorinox Swiss Army’s strengths lie within the commercial cutlery arena, and international markets, while Epicurean’s domestic retail business is strong; the two plan to tap into best practices and customer networks on those fronts. Additionally, co-branded projects and new products are already in the works.
The closing of the investment is expected to occur September 1, 2015.
About Victorinox Swiss Army
Victorinox produces and sells unique, high quality products worldwide which are of practical use in differing areas of life: Swiss Army Knives, Cutlery, Watches, Travel Gear, Apparel and Fragrances. The head office of the company is in Ibach, Schwyz, in the heart of Switzerland. This is where the founder of the company Karl Elsener first set up his cutler’s business in 1884 and, a few years later, designed the legendary “Original Swiss Army Knife”.
To learn more about Victorinox Swiss Army’s portfolio of products please visit www.SwissArmy.com.
About Epicurean
Since 2003 Epicurean has set the standard for today’s well equipped kitchen with premier cutting boards and essential kitchen utensils. Epicurean has revolutionized the kitchenware market by developing an array of wood-based products that range from dishwasher-safe cutting boards to stylish food preparation tools all made in the United States. Epicurean also manufactures a line of custom commercial products for Starbucks, Chipotle, Green Mill, and Pizza Hut to name just a few. A long history of heavy restaurant use ensures Epicurean brand products are commercial grade equipment for the home.
To learn more about Epicurean visit www.EpicureanUSA.com.
