What Bruggli does

Brüggli is a Swiss non-profit association (Verein) founded in 1987 and headquartered in Romanshorn, Thurgau, that delivers vocational training, integration services, and supported employment to people with physical and psychological disabilities. Each year the organization trains more than 220 young people across 42 professions in 12 occupational fields, with 69 successful vocational qualifications recorded in 2024 and a 70% transition rate from PrA (practical) training to EBA-level apprenticeships or unsubsidized employment. Roughly 50 residential placements and an integration partner network of 40 organizations underpin its social infrastructure, with accreditation under the Swiss Invalidenversicherung (IV) framework and SQS / OSR-Label certifications.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid social-commercial model. The IV framework reimburses vocational training and integration services, while a set of operational divisions - Brüggli Industrie (manufacturing and assembly for industrial clients), Brüggli Admedia AG (graphic design and printing, divested via management buyout in 2024), facility management, and the Usblick gastronomy unit - produce tradeable services. Consumer-facing product brands including 4pets (dog travel boxes, globally distributed), Scarabaeus (autonomous mulching robot), Probotics, and Wheels of Motion leverage workshop capacity into retail channels. Identified B2B clients include Geobrugg, L+S Sommeri, Engadin Skimarathon, and Aachhuus Salmsach.

In 2024, Brüggli reported a social balance sheet profit of CHF 6.841 million against 501-1000 employees, and is preparing to open the Berufsbildungszentrum PrA Thurgau in Weinfelden in August 2025 to extend geographic reach. The organization is a member of INSOS Switzerland, the national association of social-enterprise service providers.

Name

Bruggli

Legal name

Verein Brüggli

Website

https://brueggli.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Brüggli is a Swiss non-profit association headquartered in Romanshorn that provides vocational training, integration services, and supported employment for people with physical and psychological disabilities through IV-accredited programs, B2B manufacturing, media, gastronomy, and consumer product brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Romanshorn

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Industrial Manufacturing Services (Lohnarbeiten): Contract manufacturing services including metalworking (turning, milling, drilling, sawing, pipe bending, stamping, deburring), textile production, assembly, quality control, and logistics for external business customers
2. 4pets Product Sales: Direct sales of dog boxes and accessories under the proprietary 4pets brand through the company's own e-commerce and direct sales channels
3. Gastronomy (Gastronomie Usblick): Restaurant operations including lunch menus, Sunday brunch, seminars and banquets for groups of 20-200 persons, plus retail products like pasta, sauces, and dried fruits
4. Vocational Training Services: Training and integration services funded through Swiss disability insurance (IV), including apprenticeships in 42 professions, work integration programs, and supported employment
5. Media and Communication Services: Brüggli Admedia AG provides graphic design, web development, address management, lettershop services, advertising campaigns, and online marketing, integrating apprentices and employees with disabilities into all processes
6. Facility Management Services: Building maintenance including cleaning, gardening/landscaping, and laundry services offered through Unterhalt & Technik division

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Brüggli is a Swiss non-profit social enterprise that delivers IV-funded vocational training, supported employment, integration/rehabilitation measures, and residential services to people with physical and psychological difficulties. These social offerings are underwritten and given real-world practice through commercial operations including industrial contract manufacturing (mechanics, assembly, textile, logistics), facility management (cleaning, gardening, laundry), the Gastronomie Usblick restaurant/catering, the Brüggli Admedia media-production arm, and the proprietary 4pets dog-box brand sold direct and online.

Product overview

Brüggli is a Swiss hybrid social enterprise combining vocational training and integration services with commercial product manufacturing and service delivery. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected offerings: vocational training programs across 42 professions (Brüggli Berufsbildung), supported employment and education services, integration measures for rehabilitation, and residential living support. These social services are funded through commercial operations including Brüggli Industrie (mechanics, assembly, textile, logistics), Brüggli Unterhalt & Technik (cleaning, garden, laundry), Gastronomie Usblick (restaurant/catering), and Brüggli Admedia (printing/media services). The company also produces its own consumer product line 4pets (dog transport boxes). The commercial enterprises provide real-world work experience for trainees while generating revenue to support the organization's social mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 4pets: Own brand for dog boxes and accessories, manufactured at Brüggli and sold internationally with up to 50% discount during Christmas promotions
• Scarabaeus
• Usblick

Products and services

• Vocational Training Programs Vocational training programmes offered across 42 professions in 12 occupational fields (hospitality, metalworking, logistics, business administration, printing, design, IT, building technology, textiles, nature/gardening, and more) at PrA, EBA, and EFZ levels for youth and adults with disabilities requiring supported frameworks.
• Supported Employment and Supported Education (Job Coaching) Job coaching, workplace integration, and ongoing accompaniment services that place adults with disabilities into internships, apprenticeships, or employment in the primary labour market and provide continuing workplace coaching through Br\u00fcggli's 40+ partner-company network.
• Integration Measures (Integrationsmassnahmen) Rehabilitation and integration programmes including build-up training (Aufbautraining), work training (Arbeitstraining), and youth integration measures (IM für Jugendliche) for individuals recovering from accidents or crises who seek to return to professional life, plus potential assessments (Potenzialabklärung).
• Residential Living (Wohnen) Housing and residential support services for individuals undergoing vocational measures at Br\u00fcggli: 50 residential placements at the Romanshorn Campus (Hofstrasse 10a) plus external housing groups of 2-3 persons each, with around-the-clock specialist support and prevention/health programmes.
• Brüggli Industrie contract manufacturing services Industrial contract manufacturing division offering mechanics (turning, milling, drilling, sawing, pipe bending, stamping, deburring, trowalizing, washing), assembly/quality control (adhesive bonding, 3D metrology, manual inspection), textile production (cutting, programmed sewing, bandages, medical textiles, accessories), and logistics (incoming goods, storage, shipping) for external business customers.
• Brüggli Unterhalt & Technik facility services Facility management division providing building and vehicle cleaning (basic, maintenance, intermediate), garden and landscape services (lawns, rose and hedge care, planting, natural gardens, hard surfaces, autumn/winter works), and professional laundry services (bed linen, duvets, pillows, terry, flat and shaped linen, stain removal) for external customers.
• Gastronomie Usblick restaurant and catering Gastronomie Usblick operates a restaurant on the Romanshorn campus serving lunch menus and Sunday brunch, hosts seminars and banquets for groups of 20–200 persons, and produces pasta, sauces, and dried fruits sold both individually and as customized corporate gifts.
• Brüggli Admedia media and communication services Brüggli Admedia AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary providing full-service communications: concept, design, print production, digital procedures, photography, finishing and copywriting, plus address management, lettershop, advertising campaigns, online marketing, and annual report production for external clients, integrating apprentices and employees with disabilities into every process.
• 4pets dog transport boxes and accessories 4pets is Brüggli's proprietary brand of dog transport boxes and pet travel accessories, designed, manufactured in-house (including trowalizing, washing, and quality control of small metal parts), configured online, and sold both directly at the Romanshorn site and through global e-commerce channels, with periodic Christmas promotional discounts of up to 50%.
• Scarabaeus autonomous mulching robot Proprietary autonomous mulching robot developed under the Probotics brand for maintaining orchards and open spaces, sold as a product line emerging from Brüggli's innovation activities.
• Berufsbildungszentrum PrA Thurgau training academy New Br\u00fcggli training academy in Weinfelden (Pestalozzistrasse) opening for the August 2025 training start, delivering classroom education (general education, mathematics, German) and specialist instruction for PrA apprentices that complements workplace learning at Br\u00fcggli and partner-company sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of PrA graduates successfully transition to further training or employment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss Disability Insurance (IV) InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership with Swiss disability insurance for funding and referring clients to Brüggli's vocational training and integration services. IV case managers direct eligible individuals to Brüggli's programs, which include apprenticeships, work integration, job coaching, and supported employment services.
• INSOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association for disability organizations in Switzerland. Brüggli coordinates and monitors PrA (Practical Training) final examinations on behalf of INSOS, ensuring quality standards for protected vocational training across Switzerland.
• Public Vocational SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with public vocational schools (Berufsfachschulen) where Brüggli apprentices attend theoretical classroom instruction. PrA apprentices attend Brüggli's own Berufsbildungszentrum PrA Thurgau in Weinfelden.
• Integration Partner Companies NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of Swiss companies providing internships, apprenticeships, or employment for Brüggli clients. Partner companies receive comprehensive support from job coaches, face no wage or administrative costs, and gain the 'My Social Engagement' label for their social responsibility commitment.
• Brüggli Admedia AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationWholly-owned subsidiary providing media and communication services including graphic design, web development, printing, and marketing. All processes integrate apprentices and employees with disabilities, with management buyout completed in 2024.
• Hochschule für Wirtschaft FHSG (Fachhochschule St. Gallen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen to develop the annual social balance sheet, providing rigorous methodology for measuring social and economic value created by Brüggli's operations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung Bächtelen: Swiss foundation in Wabern (Bern) operating a sheltered workshop with vocational training, manufacturing, and integration services for people with disabilities. Closely matches Brüggli's hybrid social enterprise model combining industrial production with supported employment.
• Brühlgut Stiftung: Winterthur-based Swiss foundation offering sheltered employment, vocational training, and integration services for people with disabilities. Operates similar diversified business divisions including manufacturing, services, and retail under a non-profit structure.
• Stiftung Rossfeld: Bern-based Swiss foundation providing vocational training, schooling, and workshops for children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Comparable training-focused mission and integration pathway approach.
• Stiftung Wagerenhof: Large Uster-based Swiss social enterprise offering sheltered workshops, residential living, and vocational training for people with disabilities. Operates multiple business divisions and an integrated care-and-work model directly comparable to Brüggli's Romanshorn ecosystem.
• Werkheim Uster: Swiss sheltered workshop in Uster offering vocational integration, manufacturing, and assembly services for people with disabilities. Highly comparable operating model with contract manufacturing and supported employment focus.

Others

• INSOS Schweiz: National industry association for Swiss social enterprises serving people with disabilities. Brüggli coordinates PrA final examinations on behalf of INSOS, making it a key ecosystem partner and standards-setting body in the same sheltered workshop category.
• Pro Infirmis: Switzerland's largest disability advocacy organization providing services and referral pathways for people with disabilities. Functions as an upstream referral source for vocational integration candidates in the same ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Klubschule Migros: Switzerland's largest adult education provider offering continuing education, professional training, and language courses. Operates broadly in vocational training but does not specialize in disability-focused integration, representing a broader incumbent in overlapping adult education markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@brueggli

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bruggli