Anew Coffee Talk is ready for you and I am very happy to share it with you here. I have the wonderful Marine from Siradis as my interview guest today. Have you heard of Siradis yourself and maybe already ordered something delicious?

No? Then get your coffee or tea now and treat yourself to a little time out and enjoy the inspiring interview with Marine von Siradis in peace. Learn more about the mission, how Siradis came to life and what delicious things are available to order.

DW: Dear Marine, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview today. Tell me and of course the readers a little more about Siradis. What is Siradis, who is behind Siradis?

Marine: With pleasure. Siradis is a swiss based platform that helps make impactful food and wellness brands with great stories accessible to everyone in Switzerland. This ranges from craft kombucha, plant-based snacks, as well as clean-label cupboard essentials! One part of our business is an online store for anyone who would like to conveniently order our products to their home and the other part is distribution. This means that besides our online store we also supply  restaurants, stores, and hotels.

It all started with the distribution side of the business, which was created by my two partners Pablo and Sheldon during our studies at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne. They saw a growing demand for innovative and healthy products in Switzerland and decided to build a portfolio of local and imported brands. They also created an Instagram profile to tell people more about these brands and that was when started to be more involved part-time. I then decided to complete a master program that was specifically about digital business, with the idea behind it that I could use my knowledge for Siradis. At that time, we didn’t have an online store for the private customer. This saw the light in 2019 as a prototype version. In 2020, I finally joined full time the two founders and started straight away to work on our branding and an improved version of our online shop. Today we are almost a dozen Sira-team members and growing!

DW: How did you come up with the name Siradis? Does it have a special meaning?

Marine: When Siradis was founded, it was far from being what it is today. It all started with a very specific product that was aimed at 5 star hotels so my two partners tried to find a suitable name for the company at that time: Selecting and importing rarities for distribution: -S-I-RA-DIS!

Even though today things have changed a lot, we still decided to keep the name as it reminds us of how it all started. That’s why our company is still called Siradis!

DW: You mentioned that it all started with your partners trying to bring brands from abroad to Switzerland or make them more accessible for Switzerland? Do these brands need special criteria to be in your online store? There are so many great brands now, from candles, to chocolate, to cosmetics, drinks, etc. How do you choose your brands? How do you choose your brands?

Marine: Of course, we have certain criteria in place but we really do look at the whole picture rather than being too restrictive. That means we are not 100% vegan or 100% organic. What we are looking for are brands that are doing things differently. For example, they use better ingredients than others or they are producing in a more ethical way. We really value the story behind the brand and of course the ingredients used.

DW: I love your mission. Yours offers a wonderful platform to great brands that have their own story, go their way, even if it’s completely different. Is your online store only Switzerland-wide or do you also send abroad?

Marine: We are fully focused on Switzerland.

DW: How do you personally bring balance into your life? Siradis is what you are, what you live, how do you switch off sometimes and take some time for yourself? How do you recharge your batteries?

Marine: I’m working a lot at the moment but I still consciously make an effort to take time for myself. These moments are important to me! Even if I don’t have the perfect balance, I still have these moments that are just for myself. I love lighting a candle, taking a bath and doing my skincare. Of course, my self care routine includes some products that we sell online like our Selfcare and Co candles. I also love to go to the farmers market on the weekends, buy fresh vegetables and cook myself something delicious. This is also part of our mission at Siradis, to offer all the products that you don’t buy fresh at the market and have them conveniently delivered to their home.

DW: I love your mission and I think Siradis is hugely important for Switzerland. It’s not easy for many companies abroad to ship to Switzerland and of course without high shipping costs. In addition, it is not always easy for the Swiss to bring these great brands home from abroad. Therefore, it is even more important that you guys exist. You do such a wonderful job. Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

Marine: To me, Siradis isn’t just about delivering products. It’s really about the community that we are creating with our team, the brands we work with and our customers.  I want our online shop to reflect this by being happy, colourful and inclusive place. And of course, to bring excitement and positive energy in our customers lives with our products!

DW: Thank you very much for your time. It was very exciting to talk to you and I am a big fan of Siradis and your mission. Where can the reader find more about you? Where can they order your great products?

Marine: You can find our online store at https://www.siradis.ch/de/. On Instagram we are @siradis (https://www.instagram.com/siradis.ch/). Of course,  if anyone has any questions, they can always message us on Instagram. We take a lot of pride in being reachable!

DW: Thank you very much.