Inter Comestibles

What Inter Comestibles does

Inter Comestibles 87 AG is a Zürich-based beverage distribution, retail, and event catering company founded in 1986 and operating continuously for nearly 40 years. The company offers more than 500 regional and international beverages spanning beer, wine, spirits, mineral water, and non-alcoholic options, with particular emphasis on craft beer from Switzerland, the UK, Scandinavia, and the United States, alongside organic and fair-trade products certified by bioinspecta. Since 1996 the business has operated as an employee-owned democratic enterprise following founder Ste Pörtner's sale to a seven-person core team, and the company maintains 85-95 employees (approximately 6,500 Stellenprozente/job percentages) plus a small associated ecosystem including the IC-Zine publication, an internal IC-Dokfilm series, and logistics support for the Turbinenbräu AG brewery.

The business generates revenue through three primary service lines: Direktverkauf (direct pickup at the Binzstrasse 23 warehouse and headquarters), Lieferservice (delivery to businesses and households across Zürich via a fleet of trucks, vans, and five electric vehicles), and Festservice (event catering for small and large festivals and celebrations). A dedicated retail showroom, "Intercomestibles, der Laden," opened at Badenerstrasse 74 in 2015, providing walk-in access to the curated craft assortment, and an online ordering platform at shop.intercomestibles.ch extends the direct-to-consumer channel digitally. Customer segments are split between B2B (restaurants, bars, event organizers) and B2C (private consumers seeking specialty and craft beverages), with marketing conducted through the company website, monthly newsletter, rotating in-store window displays, Instagram, Facebook, and Untappd.

The operating model is concentrated entirely within the city of Zürich, supported by an established urban delivery network, structured order and delivery windows, and sustainability investments including electric vans added in 2025. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue figures are not released, but the combination of broad assortment, multi-channel distribution, employee-owned governance, and nearly four decades of continuous operation indicates a stable, mid-sized Swiss SME with curated specialty positioning rather than scale-driven commodity distribution. No venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor ownership has been disclosed.

Name

Inter Comestibles

Legal name

Inter Comestibles 87 AG

Website

https://intercomestibles.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Inter Comestibles 87 AG is a Zürich-based, employee-owned beverage distributor and retailer founded in 1986, offering 500-plus regional and international craft and specialty beverages via urban delivery, a retail store, and event catering services across Zürich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beverage Distribution and Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcohol Delivery & On-Demand Off-Premise (CRANAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mixed Alcohol Specialty Retail (Beer/Wine/Spirits Combined) (CRANABAH), Alcohol Delivery Commerce (CRAFAFAH)

Keywords

• Beverage delivery service
• Craft beer retail
• Wine spirits distribution
• Urban beverage logistics
• Event beverage catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beverage Delivery Service: Delivery of beverages (beer, wine, spirits, mineral water) to customers in Zürich, targeting both businesses (restaurants, bars, events) and private consumers. Operates as a wholesale/liquor store delivery model.
2. Retail Store Sales: Direct retail sales from the physical store 'Intercomestibles, der Laden' at Badenerstrasse 74, Zürich, offering over 500 regional and international beverages with focus on craft beer.
3. Festival/Event Service: Event catering service for small and large festivals and celebrations, providing beverage supply for events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inter Comestibles delivers and retails more than 500 regional and international beverages—craft beer, wine, spirits, mineral water, and non-alcoholic drinks—to businesses (restaurants, bars, event organizers) and private consumers throughout Zürich. Beyond a fleet-based urban delivery service, the company operates a physical retail store 'Intercomestibles, der Laden' focused on craft beer and specialty beverages, plus a beverage catering service for festivals and celebrations.

Product overview

Inter Comestibles is a beverage delivery and retail company based in Zurich, Switzerland, operating since 1986. The company offers a broad portfolio of drinks including beer, mineral water, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages, with a focus on regional specialties, organic, and fair-trade products. The product offering is organized around three main service lines: (1) Direktverkauf (direct sales/pickup), (2) Lieferservice (beverage delivery), and (3) Festservice (event/catering services). Additionally, the company operates a retail store called 'Intercomestibles, der Laden' at Badenerstrasse 74 featuring over 500 craft beer and specialty beverage options. An online ordering platform at shop.intercomestibles.ch enables digital ordering for the delivery and direct sales services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IC-Zine: Internal publication/magazine from 1999 featuring urban culture content
• Turbinenbräu AG
• IC-Dokfilm

Products and services

• Lieferservice (Beverage Delivery Service) Delivery of mineral water, beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages to businesses and private customers in Zürich using a mixed fleet including electric vehicles; operating hours Monday–Friday 8–17 for deliveries.
• Direktverkauf (Direct Pickup at Warehouse) Walk-in direct purchase of beverages at the company's Binzstrasse 23 headquarters in Zürich, Monday–Friday 9–18 and Saturday 10–12:30.
• Festservice (Event/Festival Beverage Service) Beverage catering service for celebrations and festivals of any size, supplying drinks for private and corporate events in Zürich.
• Intercomestibles, der Laden (Retail Storefront) Physical retail store at Badenerstrasse 74, 8004 Zürich, offering over 500 regional and international beers, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages with a craft-beer focus; open Wednesday–Friday 14–20 and Saturday 11–17.
• Online-Bestellplattform (Online Order Platform) Web-based ordering portal at shop.intercomestibles.ch enabling customers to place beverage orders online for delivery, pickup, or retail fulfillment.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Migros: Largest Swiss retailer with broad alcohol and beverage offerings in supermarkets and online. Represents the mainstream grocery competitor to Inter Comestibles' specialty beverage positioning, with significant scale advantages.
• Valora: Swiss convenience and food retail operator with beverage offerings across small-format stores. Adjacent competitor in beverage retail, though serving different format (convenience stores vs. specialty delivery and curated retail).
• Feldschlösschen Getränke: Switzerland's largest brewery and beverage company, supplying beer and beverages nationwide. Comparable as a major Swiss beverage player, though operating at much larger scale and primarily as producer/wholesaler rather than specialty retailer.
• Coop (alcohol retail): Major Swiss retailer with extensive alcohol and beverage assortment across hundreds of stores plus online. Represents the broad incumbent alternative to Inter Comestibles' specialty craft positioning, with massive assortment and reach but limited specialty curation.

Direct peers

• Mövenpick Wein: Swiss wine and specialty beverage retailer offering curated wine selections. Comparable as specialty alcohol retailer with focus on premium curation, consumer education, and specialty positioning in Switzerland.
• drink.ch: Swiss online alcohol delivery retailer offering beer, wine, and spirits with home delivery across Switzerland. Directly comparable as an alcohol e-commerce delivery competitor, though with broader geographic reach beyond Zürich and no specialty craft focus.
• Gerstl Getränke: Swiss beverage wholesaler and delivery service based in the Zürich region, supplying restaurants, bars, and consumers. Closely comparable in B2B/B2C beverage distribution model, craft selection, and Zürich market presence.
• Widmer Getränke: Swiss beverage retailer and wholesaler with delivery service. Operates in similar beverage distribution space as Inter Comestibles, serving B2B and B2C customers with comparable product assortment and delivery model.

Emerging players

• Vivino: Global wine marketplace and discovery platform with retail partnerships. Adjacent in alcohol e-commerce and consumer education space, representing the digital-first marketplace model that could increasingly compete with specialty beverage retailers for consumer mindshare.

Regional players

• Heinrich Getränke: Swiss beverage wholesaler serving the Zürich area with delivery and retail. Comparable in product category and Zürich-area geography to Inter Comestibles, with similar B2B delivery focus on restaurants and events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/intercomestibles
• Instagraminstagram.com/icderladen.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inter-comestibles

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Inter Comestibles