PEAKLIFE

By Vidhi Gupta

You know it the moment you pick up the glass. It feels different, it feels premium, it feels thoughtful.

For more than 150 years, Zwiesel Glas has stood for passion and uncompromising quality in glass. At the headquarters in Zwiesel and the glass factory in Hungary, around 800 employees produce up to 60 million crystal glasses with an unmistakable sound every year. Zwiesel Glas continuously checks the origin and quality of its raw materials and relies on resource-saving production processes. The Tritan® glass set enables brilliant and durable products – and thus ensures a particularly high level of sustainability.

We delve deeper into the brand’s legacy through an insightful conversation with Dr. Andreas Buske, Owner and Director of the Board at Zwiesel Kristallglas AG.

You’ve had quite an interesting journey — from a doctorate in Industrial Management and Controlling to becoming an Assistant Professor, and then finally taking over Zwiesel Glas. Tell me about it! How has it been?

I was sent to Zwiesel from the former parent company Schott AG in Mainz in 1999 – either to reorganise the plant or to wind it up. I decided to take the future of the company into my own hands and took over the company together with the then CEO, Dr Robert Hartel. Even then, I was convinced that we were producing the best crystal glass in the world in the interests of the uniquely skilled people in our glassmaking region. It was clear to me that the company could be successful if the quality produced in Zwiesel was given a new face and the brand was put before mass. The approach was successful: two years after the takeover, the company had already broken even. We subsequently pushed ahead with internationalisation and Zwiesel Glas has been growing continuously ever since. My vision of becoming the global market leader in the high-end HoReCa sector first became a reality in 2010. And it remains so to this day: Zwiesel Glas was named “World Market Leader Champion ” in the “Crystal Glass for the Upscale Hotel and Catering Industry” segment for the seventh year in a row in 2024!

What makes your glassware special and more unique than the others?

Definitely our Tritan® crystal glass. As I already stated, this composition is particularly durable, brilliant, break resistant and dishwasher-safe. And that is essential – not only for B2B-customers but also for private users. This quality, combined with multiple awarded design, sets us apart. With its two brands ZWIESEL GLAS and SCHOTT ZWIESEL, the company has the right glass for every moment in its range: from entry into the world of high-quality branded glasses for every moment, premium glasses in various designs, price ranges and from different manufacturing processes for enjoyable and stylish get-togethers, to exclusive manufactory glasses that celebrate the very special occasion.

What are some fun facts about glassware that people generally don’t know?

• Glasses from different producers sound different. That is because of the glass composition. Our master glassmakers recognise our glasses by the sound they make when they are clinked, they do not even have to see them. By the way: the longer the clay lasts, the higher the quality of the glass.
• Our glasses consist of up to 60 percent recycled glass.
• Many people do not realise that drinking glasses should not be disposed of in glass waste, but in residual waste.
• In 2007, Zwiesel Glas set a new world record: 93,665 glasses stacked on top of each other at the company headquarters resulted in an 8.06 metre high glass pyramid; that is officially the highest in the world!

Where do you usually go to seek inspiration? How do you stay inspired to keep innovating?

Very important to get inspired are definitely trade shows, such as Maison & Objet in Paris, 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen or also the Ambiente in Frankfurt. Also, industry publications that focus on home décor and design trends help a lot. The close relationships to our partners, getting some direct customer feedback and discussing with peers help a lot to keep innovating. Classic market research is another necessary step to stay informed about market trends.

What’s next for Zwiesel Glas?

On the one hand, our future growth plans for Zwiesel Glas globally revolve around consistently expanding our two-brand strategy in the glass sector with a customer-centric approach around our different target groups. We aim to develop additional product ranges in the attractive premium entry-level segments as well as high-end designer collections in the luxury segments. In this process, we will not only continue to work on and further develop our production technologies at our manufactory in Hungary and at our Zwiesel site in Germany (where we produce up to 60 million glasses annually), but also expand our strategic collaborations with important partners such as winemakers and Michelin-starred chefs to further grow In the consumer and professional segments. On the other hand, we are consistently developing in the area of complementary product ranges to offer our customers a holistic experience, starting from the premium Zwiesel glasses on the table. What we already offer in the professional segments, namely concepts for the entire table setting consisting of glass, dinnerware, cutlery, and other accessories, is an integral part of our vision to become not only the world market leader for the upscale glass sector but also for the complete table setting. We will pave the way for this in the coming months and years.