Almost a fairy tale:

Back in 1998, three brothers took part in Venture, a business plan competition organized jointly by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and professional services company McKinsey (www.venture.ch). Their names were Reto, Christian and Daniel Frei, and their vision was a high-class, fast food vegetarian restaurant. The idea had been born of their own personal need for a place they could eat tasty vegetarian food in relaxed surroundings. The business plan impressed the jury and the concept won two awards. The positive feedback from the people they met and talked to and the interest of the media were so enormous that the Frei brothers decided to put their idea into practice.

However, to make it work, they needed a professional with a background in gastronomy. Rolf & Marielle Hiltl, owners of the Hiltl Restaurant, Europe's oldest (it was founded in 1898) and leading vegetarian restaurant, heard about the project in the media and contacted the Frei brothers. The chemistry was right from the start, a match made in heaven. Together, they founded a company and developed the concept further.

As regards food, tibits is based on over 100 years of experience at the Hiltl Restaurant, so it meant that tradition and innovation were ideally linked. Apart from well-known and successful products from the Hiltl, such as the fabulous food boat and the juices – freshly squeezed every day – tibits also carries a range of new and tasty products that are developed in-house. The two family-owned companies, Hiltl and tibits are separate from each other but do exchange know-how and experience.