When corporate gifting also creates social value

At SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA, gift boxes have meaning right down to their creation

Since its inception, SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA has championed a demanding vision for corporate gifts: 100% Swiss-made items, carefully designed, precisely personalised, and intended to reflect the values of the companies offering them. But behind each box, there's another, less visible yet essential reality: that of the sheltered workshops involved in their production.

SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA currently collaborates with committed partners such as the Fribourg Centre for Socio-Professional Integration (CIS) and the Polyval Foundation in the canton of Vaud for the assembly of its gift boxes. Far more than a logistical choice, this collaboration is an integral part of the company's DNA. It reflects a strong belief: a meaningful gift must be so at every stage of its value chain.

A coherent approach, from day one

For Hervé Badan, founder of SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA, this approach is almost self-evident. "A Swiss company that creates value and jobs in Switzerland, and asserts values of proximity, has every interest in making coherent choices right down to the way it gives. This requirement applies to the products, of course, but also to the partners involved in making the gifts."

SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA has championed this coherence since 2011. It is embodied in the choice to work with Swiss artisans and producers, but also with social institutions capable of bringing genuine expertise in assembly, packaging, and now, much more.

Sheltered workshops at the heart of the adventure

From the beginning, the use of sheltered workshops has not been driven by opportunistic reasons, but by a desire to build an activity that is positive for the entire ecosystem. For SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA, it's about sustaining local communities, defending Swiss expertise, and contributing to a more inclusive economy. Hervé Badan states it very clearly: "Supporting people with disabilities should be among a company's priorities when it is possible to do so."

This social dimension adds further meaning to the gift. It not only brings joy to the recipient but also incorporates a broader sense of responsibility and purpose into the gesture.

CIS, an example of a long-term partnership

While SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA works with several sheltered workshops, the example of Fribourg's CIS particularly illustrates the quality of this approach. The partnership didn't just happen overnight. When the activity began, several sheltered workshops declined the collaboration proposal, as the model seemed too seasonal, too uncertain, and too difficult to smooth out over the year.

The CIS, however, agreed to embark on the adventure in 2011. They had to learn to know each other, build trust, adjust methods, and progress together. Fifteen years later, this collaboration has far exceeded the simple scope of gift box packaging.

For Elisabeth Mauron-Hemmer, director of the Fribourg Centre for Socio-Professional Integration, the quality of the relationship is based on this mutual understanding, built over time. "SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA is a client who understands, who also respects our work environment, and who takes constraints into account as much as possible by knowing how to anticipate and how to communicate as well."

Much more than just packaging

Today, this partnership is based on genuine mutual understanding, great flexibility, and an ability to adapt services to the evolving needs of SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA and its clients. This is precisely what makes it a strength.
The CIS teams intervene when everything takes shape: the boxes are assembled, prepared, checked, and carefully finalised before being handed over to clients or shipped to their recipients.

But the collaboration no longer stops at this single stage. Over time, new needs have emerged, particularly concerning logistics. To meet more personalised delivery requests, a dedicated transport service was thus developed with the CIS and launched at the end of 2025. This is a significant development that allows SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA to better control the entire chain, while ensuring a more secure and higher quality service for its clients.

For the CIS, this concrete involvement also gives meaning to the work carried out daily. "What is also interesting for them is that they hold a finished product, a beautiful finished product, that goes directly to the end customer. So, there is a sense, ultimately, of giving a gift."

A relationship built on trust, responsiveness and adaptability

The most beautiful collaborations are often those that prove themselves in action. And on this point, the partnership with the sheltered workshops has been a success. Hervé Badan notably recalls a striking incident: following a production problem with fruit jellies intended for a major client, an urgent response was needed. Within two days, a genuine "task force" was set up with the producer and the workshop teams. Thousands of gift boxes were brought back, replaced, and then re-dispatched in time, without any impact for the end client.

Beyond the anecdote, this episode says a lot about the strength of the partnership. It illustrates the responsiveness, involvement, and adaptability of the teams. And it reminds us that a socially committed model can also be extremely professional, reliable, and efficient.
For Elisabeth Mauron-Hemmer, this quality of relationship is at the heart of their shared success: "The mutual trust that has developed over the years is, for us, truly a guarantee of quality and efficiency."

The gift as a vehicle for joy, recognition and impact

After fifteen years of activity, SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA continues to view the gift as a formidable vehicle for emotion, connection, and recognition. But through its work with sheltered workshops, the company also gives it another dimension: that of a gesture that creates value on multiple levels.

A gift box can thank an employee, foster customer loyalty, or celebrate an important milestone. But it can also showcase Swiss expertise, support a local economy, and contribute to an inclusive approach. It is this comprehensive vision that makes the difference.

At SWISS GIFT SELECTION SA, this phrase is not a slogan. It is a guiding principle. And it is undoubtedly what gives each box a very special depth.