The Gastro Meat Slicer
A story of failure
Let's be honest: we all like stories. They take us to other worlds and allow us to dream. Today we're telling you the story of the gastro meat slicers that thought they were unique and promising. But read on to find out what happened to them
Once upon a time...
Like every captivating story, ours begins with the words “Once upon a time”.
Once upon a time there was a young man with a great idea. To make it more personal, we'll just call our protagonist Reto. (Any resemblance of the protagonist to a real person is intentional and his own doing 😉.)
Reto is a connoisseur of beautiful, sumptuous aperitif platters. Traditional aperitif platters with cheese, sausage, pickles and pearl onions, walnuts, fine grapes and freshly baked bread. Reto is convinced that aperitif platters are a must in a cozy gathering in a Swiss parlor.
However, he noted that the enjoyment of an aperitif platter is not celebrated in most restaurants.
That had to change. Reto had the right idea.
The idea
To gain a foothold in the culinary experience, to land in restaurants and bars and thus to break new ground with puralpina. His idea was clear: to bring the feeling of a cosy gathering in a Swiss parlour into the gastronomy sector.
His idea was not a whim of the moment. It was preceded by his father's history and experience. Ever since Reto's father sliced his game sausage with a meat slicer at the market, customers had only one goal in mind: to own such a device. Effortlessly, quickly and easily cutting sausage into wafer-thin slices - who doesn't love it?
Meat slicers were therefore not new to puralpina and had been sold for a long time. If it worked in the markets, shouldn't it be just as popular in the catering trade?
With revolutionary aperitif platters, restaurants and bars should give their guests a feeling of comfort . Guests should cut themselves and thus have a surprising and lasting experience.
The sausage slicer for restaurants and bars should be just a little bigger. It is best combined with a plate so that everything can be beautifully presented and arranged. So he set about developing this GASTRO slicer.
Gastro meat slicer
Cutting & Presenting
The development and production of the Gastro meat slicers is carried out in collaboration with partner workshops for people with disabilities for the woodwork and with Victorinox for the quality blades.
Through the back door
To be honest, we would like to mention that Reto wanted to draw the guests’ attention to our “normal” sausage and salami slicers by introducing these GASTRO slicers.
As already mentioned at the beginning of this story: After all, no household should be without a meat cutter. And the desire for it should be sparked in the gastronomy experience.
On the wrong track
But this is where Reto's journey into the world of "failure" begins. Despite recommendations, advice and introductory courses - only a few people wanted Reto's Gastro plane. And so now beautifully crafted unique pieces in five different types of wood - ash, plum, cherry, walnut and olive - are stored unnoticed and unused in the puralpina warehouse.
Why did the “great” idea fail? We can only guess.
Maybe our GASTRO slicer was simply too big, too heavy and too powerful for the businesses. Or did they think it was too dangerous that guests could injure themselves while cutting? And then there is the issue of the dishwasher - wood products and dishwashers are simply not best friends.
What next?
We now want to part with our GASTRO slicers - you can benefit from this.
We are reducing our range of gastro meat slicers. Check back in our online shop soon. There will soon be discounts available.
All's well that ends well
But you know what? Despite all these obstacles and our failure, we don't regret for a second that Reto pursued and implemented this idea.
From this failure came not only unforgettable memories and a wealth of lessons, but also the realization that failure can lead us down new, exciting paths.
The fun of developing new products has remained. Collaboration with the workshops has been strengthened. This has led to other developments, such as our raclette oven or the cheese cutter.
Now it's your turn
Check out our GASTRO meat slicers. They're not that bad, are they? 😊
Click here
