THE HOUSEWARES INTERVIEW: ZYLISS
June/July 2026
housewareslive.net
‘When someone buys a Zyliss product, they’re buying into 75 years of expertise’
As the iconic kitchenware brand Zyliss celebrates its 75th anniversary, Housewares Magazine’s Will McGill caught up with Sheena Ohnemus, Head of Marketing for Zyliss, to discuss the company’s remarkable journey.
F
rom a bicycle repair shop in rural Switzerland to kitchens in more than
50 countries, Zyliss has spent 75 years proving that the best innovations often come from the humblest of beginnings. There aren’t many brands in our industry that can genuinely claim to have shaped the way people cook. Fewer still can point to products that have remained bestsellers for decades while continuing to evolve with each new generation. For Zyliss, celebrating its 75th anniversary isn’t simply about looking back at its history – it’s about recognising how decades of continuous innovation have created a platform for the future. “We have such a rich history,” says Sheena Ohnemus, Head of
Marketing for Zyliss. “What’s wonderful is that the three big icons our founder invented are still among our bestselling products today. They’re still the crown jewels of our portfolio, but they’ve evolved over the decades into what I genuinely believe are the best versions we’ve ever produced.” Those three products - the Susi garlic press, the iconic Zick Zick food chopper and the salad spinner - have each become synonymous with practical kitchen innovation, demonstrating that thoughtful design rarely goes out of fashion.
From the beginning
The story of Zyliss begins not in a kitchen, but in a bicycle repair shop just outside Bern. Founder Karl Zysset wasn’t formally trained as an engineer, but he possessed an extraordinary talent for solving problems. While repairing bicycles, he realised the same mechanical principle used in handbrakes could, and, more importantly, should be applied to crushing garlic. “He had worked on countless bicycle brakes and suddenly had this lightbulb moment,” explains Ms Ohnemus. “He thought, ‘What if you could use the same equal-pressure principle to press garlic instead of
16 |
using a knife?’” That invention became the Susi garlic press - widely recognised as the world’s first garlic press - and ultimately laid the foundations for the company itself.
“In fact, the Susi is actually older than Zyliss,” Ms Ohnemus reveals. “Karl invented and patented the product first, then gave up his bicycle repair business to focus entirely on kitchen products.” Even the company’s name reflects its origins. “Zyliss comes from combining Karl’s surname, Zysset, with Lyss, the Swiss town where he lived.” During his lifetime, Zysset filed more than 20 patents, establishing a
culture of invention that continues to influence the business today. “He wasn’t really a designer,” says Ms Ohnemus. “He was an inventor. He was always looking at everyday problems and asking how they could be solved better.” Preparing for the anniversary celebrations also gave the company an unexpected opportunity to reconnect with its own heritage. As part of an extensive archive project, the team uncovered a
television commercial from the late 1960s featuring the famous Zick Zick food chopper. Initially believed to have been destroyed in a flood decades ago, the
advert was eventually discovered on an ageing film reel. “It wasn’t exactly easy,” explains Ms Ohnemus. “Finding somebody who could still restore that kind of film. It was actually quite difficult.” The commercial, with its instantly recognisable “Zick Zick Zyliss” slogan, became something of a cultural phenomenon across German- speaking Europe. “In Switzerland, people of a certain generation still remember it word for word. It was on television during prime time and became part of popular culture.” The restored advert has now been released online as part of the
anniversary campaign, delighting long-time fans while introducing younger audiences to an important piece of the brand’s history. “It became one of my favourite discoveries during the archive process because it really shows where we’ve come from.” While heritage is an important part of the Zyliss story, Ms Ohnemus
shares that every product remains under constant review, with consumer feedback driving continuous improvement. The Zick Zick chopper perfectly illustrates that philosophy. “When it first launched, it completely changed how people chopped onions because it enclosed them, preventing the fumes from reaching your eyes.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
