Zilte Handje

Cheeses from Switzerland

How a collaboration between three icons turned heritage into culture again.

By uniting Swiss precision, Belgian heritage and Michelin-star artistry, we transformed three worlds of excellence into one powerful story of taste. A true celebration of craftsmanship, culture and the reinvention of heritage.

The challenge

Le Gruyère AOP is a Swiss icon, loved for its precision, tradition and quality. But in Belgium, culinary pride is deeply local, and food brands rarely make headlines unless they bring something radically new. Both press and consumers look for novelty, not heritage. And when your product has been perfected for centuries, that’s a challenge.

So how can a Swiss cheese earn cultural relevance in a country that already celebrates its own icons? We needed to give Le Gruyère AOP a place in Belgian hearts without losing its origin story, in a way that didn’t feel like advertising, but like an earned cultural moment.

Community insight

Within the food and lifestyle community, influence comes from makers who bridge tradition with innovation. From chefs, artisans, and creators who keep heritage alive by transforming it.

The idea

When innovation isn’t in the product, it has to be in the story. So we built a story worth telling. We brought together three masters of craft to give tradition a new voice:

Le Gruyère AOP, for its precision, taste and authenticity. Chef Viki Geunes (Zilte), for his creative mastery and a Le Gruyère AOP ambassadors for years. And Philip’s Biscuits, the Antwerp institution of artisan heritage.

Together, they created The Zilte Handje, a savory reinvention of Antwerp’s most iconic biscuit, made with Le Gruyère AOP. A small product with a big story: where Swiss excellence met Belgian soul.

The roll-out

To launch this innovation, we invited people to taste the story, sending personalized seeding boxes and handwritten notes to 65 key journalist and creators.

From there, the story traveled organically. Creators, journalists and chefs became our storytellers, sharing their own interpretations of craftsmanship and heritage across their communities.

And in retail, the product became the proof point: sold in four Philip's Biscuits boutiques, MASshop and a selection of cheese boutiques. Next to that, a small box of Zilte Handje is also gifted to guests at restaurant Zilte as a small thank you after an evening of fine dining.

+35
Premium lifestyle clippings
1
Seat at 'the tafel van gert' on prime time tv
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sold boxes

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