SWISS: Gian, tell us more about your beginnings and how it came about that we are sitting here today in your own production facility in Zurich.
Gian: We are two brothers – “Deux Frères” (French): my brother Florian and I, Gian. From an early stage, we wanted to build something of our own, and our initially more traditional educational backgrounds provided the ideal foundation for this; Florian as a chemical laboratory technician with a degree in food technology, and I with a background in business administration. 

Even before gin – our first defining product – had even been realized, it was clear to us that we wanted to stand for good taste and not simply be another gin producer. Rather than putting a single tangible product at the center, we were from the outset focused on an attitude, an aesthetic. This has shaped much of what we do – particularly how we built the brand. And I believe that is exactly why we were later able to launch new products such as our non-alcoholic sparkling tea – not as a break from the product range, but as a logical evolution of a brand that people understand.

What is it like building a brand with your own brother?
We have a very close relationship and even live in the same house (laughs). Of course, there were tensions in the beginning, especially when it came to defining roles – but that is exactly what helped us grow. We complement each other well: I contribute ideas that my brother might not necessarily come up with, while he questions things I might otherwise implement too quickly.

Today, our collaboration is particularly strong because there is a high level of trust. We can make decisions quickly and implement them directly. That is a huge advantage, which became especially clear during the COVID-19 pandemic: working in shifts, we developed a disinfectant within three days and scaled up production at the same time. At one point we were worried it might be misunderstood, but in the end our company survived the crisis thanks to exactly that product.

By now, our sister also works in the company, and in the beginning even our mother helped with bottling the gin. We started small – with around 230 liters per batch. Today, it is about 2,000. That shows where we come from.

Gian, why gin?
For us, it became clear early on that our first product should be a clear spirit, especially because I had the idea of a color change from the very beginning – more on that later. Vodka was too neutral and one-dimensional for us. Gin gave us the opportunity to develop our own aromatic profile.

 

We may have started out naive, but very focused in our product development. At the time, we had neither much money nor much knowledge of the beverage industry. Perhaps that was exactly our advantage: with a mix of naivety, luck, and an enormous amount of enthusiasm, we simply got on with it – and maybe that is precisely why we approached things differently. That period was very much characterized by trial and error.

What characterizes your gin?
For us, a product is always a complete experience – both in terms of taste and appearance. With our gin, this is especially evident in the color change that first brought us attention: when tonic water is added, a soft pink turns into a vibrant magenta – entirely without additives, purely through plant-based ingredients. The background to this is actually quite scientific: Florian studied pH indicators in depth, and that knowledge is exactly what makes the effect possible.

For me, this natural phenomenon was central from the very beginning. My brother, on the other hand, immediately saw the challenges – shelf life, stability, and consistency. It is precisely these two perspectives that make us strong: one thinks more freely, the other more structurally.

In terms of taste, juniper is clearly present, complemented by floral notes. Around 25 botanicals are carefully balanced to create a harmonious overall profile – without any single ingredient dominating.

What is your “secret recipe”?
Beyond the ability to make quick decisions and execute, we generally don’t follow existing rules. If we have an idea, we bring it to life – whether that’s a rosé wine everyone advised us against, or our latest product: a room spray made from leftover gin production.

The “tail” fraction resulting from gin production is not suitable for the gin itself, but it still contains many interesting aromatic compounds, especially essential oils. Where others see a by-product, we see potential. Instead of discarding it, we ask ourselves: what can we turn it into?

For us, this is typical: rethinking things, using resources sensibly, and creating something independent from existing processes.

Is the trend toward non-alcoholic alternatives increasing? Can you confirm that?
Yes, absolutely. We are seeing this trend very clearly. We have been working on non-alcoholic products for years. However, in the gin space in particular, we long struggled to find anything that truly convinced us – much of it simply didn’t hold up for us in terms of taste.

 

At first, we worked with producers who remove alcohol from wine. We experimented and refined the concept extensively, but the results never fully satisfied us. Eventually, we deliberately changed direction toward fermented tea as the base for our non-alcoholic sparkling tea “La Fête sans.”

This was a multi-year process, not least because we were determined to avoid using preservatives entirely. As a result, topics such as shelf life and stability became significantly more challenging – but that level of ambition is exactly what matters to us.

Which moment are you most proud of in hindsight?
A key milestone for us was being included in the assortment of Globus, Switzerland’s leading luxury department store. That was the first moment we thought: okay, we’re really being recognized. Or when we were standing in a bar and someone ordered our gin without knowing we were behind it. Those are the moments when you realize your vision is starting to take on a life of its own.

What does it mean for you to present your gin, produced locally in Zurich, to an international audience on board SWISS European flights?
We are very proud of it. Deux Frères is a relatively small brand, and suddenly being featured on our national airline, alongside traditional Swiss names like Sprüngli, makes it something truly special for us. SWISS carries Swiss identity out into the world, and being part of that has great significance for us. It also shows that our work is paying off and that we are being taken seriously as a brand.

 

 

What role should the brand play in Swiss business culture?
Ideally, Deux Frères will one day become something like a modern Swiss classic. That would be a meaningful goal for us: to build a brand with long-term relevance, one that stands for quality and taste – and at the same time shows that even as a young company, you can take new paths and think differently.

More about Deux Frères ​here.