LUZI Discusses Family Legacy & The Next Generation

LUZI, a swiss-based and family-owned perfume house, continues to spread its reach nearly 100 years after its founding in 1926. Most recently, LUZI moved into a new state-of-the-art and highly sustainable building on an 11,000-square-meter site in Dietlikon, Zurich, and announced a change in key management positions.

Read this article in the Perfumer & Flavorist+ April 2024 issue.

Perfumer & Flavorist+ connected with CEO Roland Altenburger (third generation), to reflect on the company’s nearly century-long legacy, share recent corporate changes and give an inside look at partnering with LUZI.

LUZI CEO Roland Altenburger is third generation of the Altenburger family.courtesy LUZI

LUZI is just two years away from celebrating its 100th anniversary–what an impressive milestone! Can you touch on how the company has evolved over the years?

Roland Altenburger [RA]: LUZI was established in 1926 in Zurich by Mr. Hermann Luzi and later handed over to my grandfather in 1952. The company’s first major breakthrough came in the late 1960s with the creation of the fragrance for the brand “Fenjal,” initially a pioneering bath oil in Europe at that time. Early on, due to the small size of the Swiss market, LUZI expanded overseas, notably entering the GCC in 1968 as one of the first European fragrance houses to do so.

Since 2010, LUZI has significantly grown, also through its further internationalization, opening seven sales offices across four continents, a production facility in Malaysia and a creative lab in Paris. Meanwhile the company has refined its business model and continuously invested in new talents. These efforts have led to a significant organic annual growth of over 20% over the last three years.

LUZI announces updates to a few key corporate positions. How do these promotions echo the core values of the company?

RA: The current promotions within LUZI reflect our steadfast commitment to the core values that have guided us for nearly a century, with long-term partnership standing out as a fundamental principle. This value is not only pivotal in our relationships with customers and suppliers but is equally significant within our team.

Under the leadership of CEO Jürg Koller for the last 25 years, LUZI has experienced remarkable growth, with sales increasing from 17 million CHF in 1998 ($12 million) to 110 million CHF in 2023 ($120 million). Jürg has been instrumental in driving our international expansion and enhancing our global market position while upholding our core company values.

As Jürg passes on the position of CEO to me, once again this important role is in the hands of an Altenburger family member. Also, the transitions are a testament to the value we place on continuity and internal growth: Marc Vogel, stepping into the role of COO after more than 20 years with LUZI, embodies the dedication and leadership that have been crucial to our success. His extensive experience and deep understanding of our business model and market dynamics make him an ideal choice for this role.

Similarly, Christoph Heil’s promotion to Head of Sales reflects of our belief in nurturing talent from within. Christoph’s background with industry giants like Firmenich and IFF, combined with his successful tenure as Regional Sales Director Europe at LUZI, positions him perfectly to lead our sales strategy forward.

Together, Marc and Christoph represent the kind of empathetic, charismatic leadership that resonates with our values. Their unwavering commitment to the success of our team and the broader LUZI family underscores the essence of partnership that Jürg has championed throughout his tenure.

L to R: Marc Vogel (COO), Roland Altenburger (CEO) and Christoph Heil (Head of Sales).courtesy LUZI

Could you share a few examples of how LUZI differentiates itself?

RA: Thanks to the structure of our organization, the flat hierarchy, and the family-ownership we are very agile in decision making, assuring a high degree of flexibility that is much appreciated by our customers. Simultaneously, our core value of long-term partnership in combination with our Swiss quality seal, ensures a high level of commitment, reliability, and consistency as a solid basis of a sustainable business.

Another key pillar of our success is the creativity that is embedded in our company vision “Creativity touching your senses.” The belief in this vision enables the conception and development of exceptional fragrance creations that are not only unique but also appeal to a broad spectrum of consumers.

What is fascinating is the result of the combination of our long-standing perfumers, who have extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern perfumery and at the same time in the European mass market, with the experts in the Western niche and prestige segment who joined us just a few years ago. This fusion of different perfumery philosophies, practices and expertise fosters a highly inspiring and creative environment.

What can a company expect when they begin a partnership with LUZI?

RA: We are convinced that mutual trust is the main factor of success within a rapidly changing and demanding marketplace. Reliability is key to jointly manage those challenges. Therefore, our potential customers can expect a superior service quality provided by our experienced team of industry experts, a high level of transparency, a comprehensive olfactive and conceptional support as well as most importantly an outstanding and consistent fragrance quality. Moreover, our company places a strong focus on the continuous optimization of sustainability performance within our industry.

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