Zum Guten Heinrich

What Zum Guten Heinrich does

Zum Guten Heinrich is a Zurich-based sustainable food company founded in 2015 that builds its business around using crooked, surplus, and seasonal produce that would otherwise be discarded. The company operates three revenue lines: (1) a catering service for corporate events (apéros, business lunches, celebrations) offered either as mini catering without staff or as full-service catering with personnel; (2) the Heiri im Glas e-commerce product line of ready-to-heat vegan and vegetarian stews and soups sold in jars and pouches with a 1 CHF reusable glass deposit; and (3) the elmira fine dining restaurant in central Zurich, operated as a sister brand. A Heiri-Geschenkbox gift box line targets corporate gifting and event giveaways. The primary customer segments are corporate clients seeking sustainable event catering and conscious individual consumers in the Zurich area purchasing D2C meals; private event hosts form a secondary segment.

The operating model is built on three pillars: a sourcing network of more than 18 local suppliers (farms, organic producers, community-supported agriculture partner Solawi Halde, and hobby gardeners) providing misshapen produce; in-house preparation focused on seasonal, regional, predominantly vegetarian and vegan menus (with occasional meat from no-waste sources like soup chickens); and emissions-free last-mile delivery in the Zurich area using cargo bikes that convert into apéro presentation surfaces on arrival, with zone-based delivery fees and a pickup point at Coworking Lounge Tessinerplatz. No proprietary technology platforms support the business; the differentiator is operational craft, supplier relationships, and brand storytelling rather than software or AI. Pricing is quote-based for catering and unit-based for the e-commerce shop (45 CHF minimum order, with delivery 3-10 CHF by zone).

The business is privately held and founder-led, with approximately 10-15 team members including founders and part-time staff, and has been bootstrapped aside from a CHF 10,415 (~$10.4K) Venture Kick grant in March 2015. It carries strong media recognition in Swiss German-language outlets (NZZ Bellevue, Tages-Anzeiger, 20min, Swissinfo, Annabelle, SI Style) and a TED Talk by co-founder Lukas Bühler (November 2019). The company is currently in an operational transition, publicly indicating on its catering page that it is seeking a sustainable continuation path for the Heiri business and is not currently responding to new catering inquiries — a material signal for any investor assessing ongoing commercial activity.

Name

Zum Guten Heinrich

Legal name

Zum guten Heinrich

Website

https://zumgutenheinrich.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zum Guten Heinrich is a Zurich-based sustainable catering company founded in 2015 that prepares seasonal vegetarian and vegan meals from crooked and surplus vegetables for corporate events, private customers, and online ready meal sales, and operates the elmira fine dining restaurant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Catering and Prepared Foods

NAICS

Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Dietary Catering (Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Allergen-Free, Medical) (THAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable catering services
• Zero-waste prepared meals
• Event catering food
• Regional seasonal cuisine
• Cargo bike delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catering Services: Sustainable catering for events including corporate apéros, lunches, celebrations. Offers mini catering (self-service without staff) and full catering with service personnel. Currently in transition seeking sustainable continuation.
2. Prepared Meals (Heiri im Glas): Ready-to-heat stews and soups sold in jars and pouches made from 100% crooked/ugly vegetables, 100% seasonal, 100% zero waste. Products include vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free entries. Also offers vegan fondue.
3. Gift Boxes (Heiri-Geschenkbox): Gift boxes containing Heiri products (pickles, chutney, nuts) for corporate gifts or event giveaways.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zum Guten Heinrich provides sustainable catering for corporate and private events using 100% crooked, surplus, and seasonal regional vegetables, with emissions-free delivery via cargo bikes and reusable zero-waste serviceware. The company also sells ready-to-heat vegetarian and vegan stews and soups under the "Heiri im Glas" sub-brand in returnable jars via its own online shop, alongside a Heiri gift box offering and operates the elmira fine-dining restaurant in central Zurich.

Product overview

Zum Guten Heinrich operates as a food-focused company with two main product lines: a sustainable catering service that provides seasonal, regional vegetarian/vegan catering for events using misshapen vegetables, zero-waste practices, and emissions-free cargo bike delivery; and an e-commerce shop selling 'Heiri im Glas' ready-to-heat meals in jars and bags made from rescued produce. The company also offers a gift box product ('Heiri-Geschenkbox') for corporate gifting, and operates a sister fine dining restaurant called 'elmira' in Zurich. The offering represents a unified zero-waste food philosophy across catering and retail product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heiri im Glas: Ready-meal product line featuring soups and stews made from crooked vegetables, sold in jars and bags for home delivery.

Products and services

• Sustainable Event Catering Event catering for corporate apéros, business lunches, celebrations, and private events, with menus built from 100% misshapen, surplus, and seasonal regional vegetables. Offers mini catering (self-service without staff) and full catering with service personnel, using reusable serviceware and transparent quoted pricing.
• Heiri im Glas (Ready-to-Heat Meals in Jars) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce product line of ready-to-heat vegetarian and vegan stews and soups packed in returnable glass jars and bags. Made from 100% misshapen vegetables, 100% seasonal, vegan, lactose-free, and gluten-free, with a 1 CHF glass deposit returnable as voucher.
• Heiri Gift Box (Heiri-Geschenkbox) Gift boxes containing Heiri products (pickles, chutney, nuts) sold through the online shop for corporate gifting and event giveaways.
• elmira Fine Dining Restaurant On-site fine-dining restaurant in central Zurich offering a unique high-end gastronomic experience as part of the same company umbrella as Zum Guten Heinrich catering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% crooked vegetables used - zero vegetables discarded due to appearance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DiecuisineminorOthersFood-related supplier partner featured on partners page
• Gut RheinauminorOthersSupplier partner for organic/natural products
• Pot.chminorOthersFood product supplier partner
• Pakka.chminorOthersSustainability-focused food supplier
• Solawi Halde (Solidarische Landwirtschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-supported agriculture partnership providing fresh produce. Core partner for seasonal, local vegetable sourcing supporting the crooked vegetable concept.
• Biopilz.chminorOthersOrganic mushroom supplier partner
• Crowd ContainerminorOthersSustainable packaging supplier for reusable container solutions
• BächserämertminorOthersLocal farm supplier partner
• Pico BiominorOthersOrganic/bio product supplier
• AlpenpionierminorOthersAlpine specialty food supplier
• GrassrootedminorOthersSustainable food partner
• Eat UmamiminorOthersFood product supplier
• DasPureminorOthersOrganic/sustainable product supplier
• HofblumminorOthersFarm supplier partner
• Huhn mit BruderminorOthersEthical poultry supplier for occasional non-vegetarian offerings following no-waste philosophy
• Tessinerplatz Coworking LoungecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPickup location partner for online shop orders. Enables customer self-pickup at Tessinerplatz 7, 8002 Zürich, Monday-Friday.
• Farmy.chminorOthersOnline farmers market and food delivery platform
• Le Petit MaraisminorOthersFood/lifestyle product supplier partner

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eaternity: Swiss-founded climate-impact catering and restaurant sourcing platform that helps foodservice operators measure and reduce CO2 emissions — directly comparable mission (sustainable food) and overlap with ZGH's corporate-event catering clientele in Switzerland.

Broad incumbents

• Tibits: Swiss vegetarian/vegan restaurant chain with event catering and food-service buffet concepts; overlapping plant-based menu focus and Zurich presence, though much larger and broader in scope than Zum guten Heinrich.
• Veganz: German plant-based food brand and retail range; adjacent thematic overlap on plant-based/sustainable packaged food, but operates a much broader B2C branded product portfolio and DACH-wide retail distribution.
• Hiltl: Zurich-based vegetarian restaurant and catering operation, often cited as the world's oldest vegetarian restaurant; comparable vegetarian/plant-based culinary offering and Zurich-anchored event catering to corporate clients.
• Dean & David: European healthy-food restaurant and catering chain with sustainability positioning; comparable in offering healthy/sustainable bowls and catering to corporate customers, albeit at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: European food-waste reduction marketplace connecting consumers with surplus meals from restaurants and retailers; addresses the same food-waste problem ZGH attacks from a different angle (surplus-sell-through vs. crooked-vegetable upcycling).

Others

• Gebana: Swiss fair-trade and direct-from-farmer online food retailer; thematically aligned around ethical food sourcing and producer-direct supply, but with a broader grocery-style assortment rather than prepared meals.

Regional players

• Myke (myke.ch): Swiss sustainable/plant-based ready-meal and restaurant brand based in Zurich with similar D2C delivery and zero-waste/seasonal storytelling — a regional peer in overlapping Swiss urban food market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4I-TRQbiWfEdDvldAXg5ew
• Facebookfacebook.com/zumgutenheinrich
• Instagraminstagram.com/elmira.zuerich
• Xx.com/zgheinrich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zum-guten-heinrich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Zum Guten Heinrich