Bigler
Bigler AG is a Swiss family-owned meat processor (est. 1946, 800+ employees) that manufactures and distributes fresh meat, charcuterie, and convenience products via field sales and own logistics to professional butchers, retailers, and convenience stores throughout Switzerland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersBüren An Der Aare, Switzerland
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Bigler does
Bigler AG Fleischwaren is a Swiss, family-owned meat processor founded in 1946 and headquartered in Büren an der Aare, with a second production site (Werk 7) in Lyss and a workforce of 800+ employees. The company manufactures and distributes fresh meat (beef, veal, pork, poultry), charcuterie, and a growing convenience range (sandwiches, canapés, salads), organized into named lines including the Royal premium tier (Royal Rind, Lamm Royal, Biglers Beef Selection, G\u00e9rard's Keller Rohschinken) and regional specialties (Berner Seeland, Ricetta Ticinese, Familia, Tessiner Manufaktur), plus seasonal offerings such as the Grill Sortiment and consumer gift items.
The core business is B2B wholesale: Bigler serves professional butchers (Metzgereifachgesch\u00e4fte) and retailers/convenience stores (Detailhandel) across Switzerland via a dedicated field-sales team operating in German, French, and Italian, with personal consultation, custom cuts, aging, storage, and shelf-ready merchandising services. Orders flow through phone, fax, email, and electronic integrations with EDI, Hogashop, and System Cadar within a 7 AM-5 PM window, and the company runs its own logistics fleet for daily, Switzerland-wide delivery. A smaller direct-to-consumer layer sells gift items (Geschenkartikel) through an own online shop and company retail sales points.
The revenue model is primarily transaction-based B2B wholesale with pricing determined through quotation and direct business relationships rather than public list pricing, supplemented by one-time gift-item consumer sales. With no external investors, parent company, or stock-exchange listing, ownership remains entirely in the founding family, owners participate in day-to-day operations, and the group maintains OHSAS workplace-safety certification alongside regional sponsorships such as the BEA trade fair.
Bigler firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bigler
- Legal name
- Bigler AG Fleischwaren
- Website
- https://bigler.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Bigler AG is a Swiss family-owned meat processor (est. 1946, 800+ employees) that manufactures and distributes fresh meat, charcuterie, and convenience products via field sales and own logistics to professional butchers, retailers, and convenience stores throughout Switzerland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bigler industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Meat Processing and Wholesale
- NAICS
- Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (424470)
- SIC
- Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refrigerated Meat & Charcuterie Wholesale (AFAIAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Broadline Grocery & General Line Wholesale (AFAIABAA)
Keywords
Where Bigler is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Büren An Der Aare
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Bigler business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Wholesale Meat Products: B2B wholesale distribution of fresh meat, charcuterie, and convenience products (sandwiches, canapés, salads) to Metzgereifachgeschäfte (butcher specialty shops) and Detailhandel (retail) across Switzerland. Products sold in piece quantities, consumer units, or larger quantities with flexible ordering minimums.
- Individual/Custom Solutions: Customized solutions for professionals including specific weights, custom cuts, aging and bone storage, and ready-to-display merchandising for retailers.
- Gift Items: Consumer gift products sold through online shop and at company sales points.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Bigler product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bigler AG Fleischwaren manufactures and distributes fresh meat, charcuterie (sausages, ham, cured meats), and convenience products such as sandwiches, canapés, and salads from its Büren an der Aare and Lyss facilities. Its primary customers are professional butchers (Metzgereifachgeschäfte) and retailers (Detailhandel) across Switzerland, served through field sales representatives, electronic ordering systems, and a company-owned daily delivery fleet. The company also offers premium and regional branded lines (Royal, Berner Seeland, Ricetta Ticinese, Familia) plus consumer gift items through its online shop and own sales points.
Product overview
Bigler AG is a Swiss meat processing company offering a diversified portfolio of fresh meat, charcuterie, and convenience products. The product range includes core categories (Frischfleisch/Fresh Meat, Charcuterie, Convenience products including sandwiches/canapés/salads), regional specialty lines (Berner Seeland, Ricetta Ticinese), and premium lines under the Royal brand (Royal Rind, Lamm Royal, Biglers Beef Selection, Gérard's Keller Rohschinken). Products are distributed to both retail (Detailhandel) and professional butcher customers (Metzgereifachgeschäfte) across Switzerland, with regional specialties from Bernese Seeland, Ticino, Valais, Grisons, and Western/Eastern Switzerland. The company also offers gift items and a grill assortment for seasonal demand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Royal: Premium line of meat products including Royal Rind (Royal beef) from high-quality cattle breeds raised extensively, characterized by minimal cut loss and juice formation.
- Berner Seeland
- Ricetta Ticinese
- Familia
Products and services
- Royal Premium Line Exclusive premium product line characterized by minimal cutting loss and juice formation. Royal beef comes from high-quality cattle breeds raised extensively, with quality as the top priority for the line.
- Lamm Royal (Royal Lamb) Premium Swiss lamb meat line representing the best Swiss lamb, part of the Royal premium quality tier within Bigler's beef and lamb assortment.
- Biglers Beef Selection Premium beef selection offering top-quality meat for discerning customers, showcasing high-quality beef specialties within Bigler's premium assortment.
- Gérard's Keller Selektion (Rohschinken) Premium raw ham selection featuring Gérard's Keller Selektion, an exclusive prosciutto/ham product within Bigler's charcuterie premium assortment.
- Berner Seeland Regional specialty product line featuring specialties from the Bernese Seeland area, including traditional Bernese cuisine specialties.
- Ricetta Ticinese Regional specialty product line featuring traditional Ticino (Italian-speaking Switzerland) culinary specialties and recipes.
- Familia Family-oriented product line within Bigler's assortment, positioned as part of the company's diverse product portfolio.
- Convenience Products Ready-to-eat and prepared food products including sandwiches, canapés, and salads for retail and professional B2B customers.
- Grill Sortiment Seasonal grilling assortment featuring various grilled meat products and specialties for the summer barbecue season.
- Frischfleisch (Fresh Meat) Fresh meat products including beef, veal, pork, and poultry sourced and processed for retail and professional customers.
- Charcuterie Processed meat products including sausages, ham, and cured meats produced in-house for retail and professional customers.
- Geschenkartikel (Gift Items) Gift products and gift packages available for direct consumer purchase, particularly around holidays and special occasions, sold through the online shop and at company sales points.
- Individual/Custom Solutions for Professionals Customized solutions for professional customers including specific weights, custom cuts, aging and bone storage, and ready-to-display merchandising for retailers.
Companies that use Bigler
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bigler technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
Bigler partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and minor.
- rexx systems GmbHsupportingExternal HR recruiting portal service provider hosting the Bigler career portal. Website hosted by rexx systems GmbH, Süderstrasse 75–79, 20097 Hamburg, Germany (with Swiss branch: rexx systems Schweiz AG, Sparrenbergstrasse 5, 8103 Zürich). Data stored on servers of IT works! in Hamburg with ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification.
- IT works!supportingData center services provider for Bigler's HR recruiting portal. Server infrastructure located in Hamburg. Holds ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification ensuring data protection compliance.
- IT works!supportingData center provider used by rexx systems for Bigler career portal hosting.
- EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)supportingElectronic ordering system partner for professional customers to place orders digitally.
- HogashopsupportingElectronic ordering platform for professional food industry customers to place orders with Bigler.
- System CadarsupportingElectronic ordering system for professional customers to order Bigler products.
- YoustyminorSwiss apprenticeship and job platform used by Bigler for recruiting apprentices and posting job openings.
- EUROPCARminorEmployee benefit partner offering special conditions to Bigler employees.
- Mobiliar BielminorSwiss insurance partner offering special conditions to Bigler employees.
- Brack.chminorSwiss online retailer partner offering special conditions to Bigler employees.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bigler competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bell Food Group AG: Switzerland's largest meat and convenience food producer, listed on SIX Swiss Exchange. Operates across fresh meat, charcuterie, and convenience categories serving the same retail and food service customers, with overlapping premium and regional product lines (e.g., Hilcona).
- Micarna SA: Major Swiss meat and convenience food processor owned by the Migros group. Directly comparable in product mix (fresh meat, charcuterie, ready meals) and Switzerland-wide distribution, though integrated into a retail parent.
- Hilcona AG: Swiss convenience and fresh food producer (Bell subsidiary) specializing in ready-meals, sandwiches, and salads. Directly comparable to Bigler's convenience segment produced at Werk 7 in Lyss.
- Ernst Sutter AG: Long-standing Swiss family-owned meat and charcuterie specialist serving butchers and retailers. Closely aligned with Bigler's heritage family-business model, regional positioning, and premium butcher-channel focus.
- Stocki AG: Swiss specialist in convenience foods and ready-meal components. Overlaps with Bigler's sandwich/canapé/salad offerings and shares the Swiss B2B trade-customer GTM.
- Orior AG: Listed Swiss food group combining fresh meats, convenience, and gastronomy (incl. Mörel, Pastinella, Le Patron). Comparable in product breadth and Switzerland-wide retail/foodservice distribution, with stronger gastronomy exposure.
Broad incumbents
- Tönnies Holding ApS & Co. KG: One of Europe's largest meat processors (pork and beef), operating at significantly greater scale across multiple countries. Comparable product categories but distinct market position as a continental incumbent rather than regional specialist.
- Plukon Food Group: Leading European poultry and convenience meat producer active across DACH and Benelux. Comparable in fresh meat processing and refrigerated logistics, although focused on poultry rather than beef/charcuterie.
- Danish Crown A/S: Global meat cooperative with significant European pork, beef, and convenience operations. Overlap with Bigler's processed-meat and prepared-food capabilities, though at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
Regional players
- Transgourmet Schweiz AG: Swiss foodservice distribution specialist and sister company of Coop. A downstream buyer and adjacent channel partner for Bigler in HORECA/retail, serving overlapping customer segments across Switzerland.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bigler social profiles
Digital presenceBigler compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Bigler financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bigler leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Bigler funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bigler M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bigler
What does Bigler do?
Bigler AG Fleischwaren manufactures and distributes fresh meat, charcuterie (sausages, ham, cured meats), and convenience products such as sandwiches, canapés, and salads from its Büren an der Aare and Lyss facilities. Its primary customers are professional butchers (Metzgereifachgeschäfte) and retailers (Detailhandel) across Switzerland, served through field sales representatives, electronic ordering systems, and a company-owned daily delivery fleet. The company also offers premium and regional branded lines (Royal, Berner Seeland, Ricetta Ticinese, Familia) plus consumer gift items through its online shop and own sales points.
Is Bigler a public or private company?
Bigler is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Bigler founded?
Bigler was founded in 1946. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Bigler based?
Bigler is headquartered in Büren An Der Aare, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Bigler make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Wholesale Meat Products are the primary driver. The others are individual/Custom Solutions and gift Items.
Who are Bigler's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bell Food Group AG, Micarna SA, Hilcona AG, Ernst Sutter AG, Stocki AG and Orior AG. Broad incumbents are Tönnies Holding ApS & Co. KG, Plukon Food Group and Danish Crown A/S. Transgourmet Schweiz AG is listed as a regional player.
Does Bigler have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bigler.
What industry is Bigler in?
Bigler's product category is Meat Processing and Wholesale. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAHAI, Refrigerated Meat & Charcuterie Wholesale, with a secondary code of AFAIABAA, Broadline Grocery & General Line Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 424470 and its SIC code is 2013.