Prix SVC Ostschweiz 2022: The six finalists briefly introduced

The Prix SVC Ostschweiz is awarded by the Swiss Venture Club (SVC) to successful small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region that impress with their corporate culture, the quality of their employees and management, their products and innovations, and their sustainable track record. Since 2004, the Prix SVC Ostschweiz has been awarded every two years, i.e. for the tenth time in 2022.

Companies from all over Eastern Switzerland

The six finalists, all successful SMEs from Eastern Switzerland, have now been nominated: Appenzeller Alpenbitter AG (Appenzell), Ifolor AG (Kreuzlingen), the Högg Group (Wattwil), La Conditoria (Sedrun), Mosmatic AG (Necker) and Wild & Küpfer AG (Schmerikon) can hope to win the Prix SVC Ostschweiz 2022 in the final. The companies were nominated by an 11-member jury of experts headed by Andrea Fanzun, partner and CEO of Fanzun AG, in a multi-stage process from a list of around 150 companies. Companies from both Appenzell, Glarus, Graubünden, St.Gallen and Thurgau were available for selection.

The six finalists for the Prix SVC Ostschweiz 2022

The six finalists present themselves - in alphabetical order - as follows:

• Appenzeller Alpenbitter AG (www.appenzeller.com): 120 years ago, Emil Ebneter and Beat Kölbener from Appenzell laid the foundation for Appenzeller Alpenbitter AG. They developed Appenzeller Alpenbitter with 42 selected herbs. The recipe of this natural product is a well-kept secret of the founding family. To this day, Appenzeller Alpenbitter AG is a purely family-run business, currently employing around 40 people. Since October 2020, Pascal Loepfe-Brügger, great-grandson of company founder Beat Kölbener, has been managing director of the traditional Appenzeller company.
• Högg Group (www.hoegg.ch): What began in 1905 as a blacksmith's shop in Lichtensteig has developed into a modern, innovative group of companies with over 160 employees. The Högg Group consists of the specialized provider for precision manufacturing and component assembly (Högg AG Produktionstechnik) as well as engineering with system responsibility (simplify engineering AG). As an expert in stair and seat lifts, it offers ideal solutions for overcoming height differences for people with limited mobility. (Högg Liftsysteme AG).
• Ifolor AG (www.ifolor.ch): Ifolor makes unforgettable moments reliveable in personalized photo products. The range includes high-quality products such as photo books,
  -calendars, greeting cards, wall decorations, photo gifts and photos. As a family business founded in 1961, Ifolor combines tradition with innovation and has been climate-neutral since 2011. The company is active in fifteen countries, employs around 270 people and generates annual sales of more than CHF 100 million. The popular photo products are manufactured at the Swiss headquarters in Kreuzlingen and in Kerava, Finland.
• La Conditoria (www.conditoria.swiss): At 1400 meters above sea level, la Conditoria has been producing the finest Bünder specialties since 1965. Time and again, the family business, now in its second generation, creates unique products such as the leading product "probably the smallest Bünder nut cake in the world" weighing only 19 grams. Every year, the company produces millions of its flagship product with around 50 employees and sells mainly in the Swiss retail trade (including the wholesaler Coop), but also exports to thirteen different countries from Hong Kong and South Korea to the USA.
• Mosmatic AG (www.mosmatic.com): The Swiss family-owned company Mosmatic AG has specialized in products for car wash technology, high-pressure cleaning and precision swivels for over 40 years. Innovative and customer-oriented special solutions, as well as patented developments, make the Swiss company known beyond its borders. Founded in 1978 in Switzerland, the Mosmatic group of companies is now represented worldwide with branches in the USA, Canada and Australia. The entire product range is manufactured by over 120 motivated employees in Neckertal.
• Wild & Küpfer AG (www.wildkuepfer.swiss): For over 40 years, Wild & Küpfer AG has been developing, producing and assembling high-precision plastic parts and assemblies for complex applications. At its state-of-the-art location in Schmerikon, the family-owned company continuously invests in cutting-edge technology and top performance. This is one of the reasons why Wild & Küpfer AG, which employs over 200 people, is the technology market leader in Switzerland and Europe in the field of plastic injection molding.

High-profile events for SMEs

The sponsor and initiator of the Prix SVC is the Swiss Venture Club (SVC), an independent, non-profit association of entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs with the aim of supporting and promoting SMEs as the driving force of the Swiss economy and contributing to the creation and preservation of jobs in Switzerland. The SVC is supported by premium partner Credit Suisse, partners Emil Frey, EY, Mobiliar and Swisscom, as well as numerous other sponsors. The award ceremonies, which are the SVC's most high-profile activities, have become well-known events throughout Switzerland and are now held in eight economic regions and every two years.

More information: Swiss Venture Club (SVC)