The gastro meat slicer
A Story of Failure
Hand on heart: We all love stories. They transport us to other worlds and allow us to dream. Today, we tell you the story of the Gastro Meat Slicers, who believed they were unique and promising for success. 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 brilliant 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 a cozy gathering in a Swiss parlor is simply a must.
However, he noted that the enjoyment of an aperitif platter is not celebrated in most restaurants.
That had to change. Reto had the perfect 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 cozy gathering in a Swiss parlor into the restaurant industry.
His idea wasn't a whim. It was preceded by his father's history and experience. Ever since Reto's father sliced his venison sausage with a meat slicer at the market, customers had only one goal in mind: to own such a device. Effortlessly, quickly, and easily slicing sausage into wafer-thin slices – who doesn't love it?
Meat slicers were therefore nothing new at puralpina and had been sold for some time. If they worked in the markets, shouldn't they be just as popular in the restaurant industry?
With revolutionary aperitif platters, restaurants and bars were designed to give their guests a sense of comfort . Guests could slice and cut their own food, creating a surprising and lasting experience.
The sausage slicer for restaurants and bars would probably be a bit larger. It's best combined with a platter so 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 catering meat slicers is carried out in collaboration with partner workshops for people with disabilities for the woodworking, and with Victorinox for the quality blades.
Through the back door
To be honest, we want to mention that Reto wanted to draw guests' attention to our "normal" sausage and salami slicers with 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 ignited in the culinary experience.
On the wrong track
But this is where Reto's journey into the world of "failure" begins. Despite recommendations, consultations, and demonstrations, few wanted Reto's Gastro Planer. And so, beautifully crafted, unique pieces in five different wood types—ash, plum, cherry, walnut, and olive—are now stored unnoticed and unused in the puralpina warehouse.
Why did this "great" idea fail? We can only guess.
Perhaps our GASTRO slicer was simply too big, too heavy, and too powerful for the businesses. Or did they feel it was too dangerous, with guests potentially injuring themselves while cutting? And then there's the issue of the dishwasher—wooden products and dishwashers simply aren't best friends.
What next?
We now want to part with our GASTRO slicers - you can benefit from this.
We're reducing our range of commercial meat slicers. Check back soon in our online shop. Discounts will be available soon.
Speaking of
Right, Christmas is in 11 weeks. Just to be clear. Well, maybe your dad, your aunt, your best friend, or your cousin would also enjoy a food processor?
All's well that ends well
But you know what? Despite all these obstacles and our failures, we don't regret for a second that Reto pursued and implemented this idea.
This failure has not only given us unforgettable memories and a wealth of lessons, but also the realization that failure can lead us down new and exciting paths.
The joy of developing new products has remained. Collaboration with the workshops has been strengthened, resulting in other developments, such as our raclette oven and the cheese cutter.
Now it's your turn
Check out our GASTRO meat slicers. They're not that bad, are they? 😊
Click here
