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How a bicycle brake became a garlic press

In part two of our ‘Swiss Inventions’ stamp series, we take a closer look at the garlic press. It was invented by a bicycle mechanic from Lyss. To this day, new versions of this kitchen aid continue to appear – and it has even become a collector’s item.

The mother of all garlic presses: the Susi model from 1948

Karl Zysset (1907–1988) loved to tinker. As a bicycle mechanic (actually a trained joiner) with his own workshop, he first applied for patents for bicycle-related inventions. However, his life was changed in 1948 by a different kind of innovation: the garlic press. There are no records of how exactly this came about. But looking back, it seems evident that Zysset got the idea for the pressing mechanism from bicycle brakes. What’s more, the kitchen gadget fits just as comfortably in the hand.

 

‘Susi’, as the first garlic press was called, went down well. Then things really took off. The inventor cum businessman founded the company Zyliss (a combination of Zysset and Lyss), which focuses entirely on kitchen appliances.

 

Zysset is also responsible for inventions such as the food chopper (advertising slogan: ‘No more tears when chopping onions!’) and the salad spinner. Between 1956 and 1973, he patented around 20 inventions.

 

(Kopie 15)

 
 

Zyliss AG merged with DKB Household (Switzerland) AG in 2006 and continues to operate today. When Swiss Post issued a stamp featuring the garlic press in 2024, the company even launched a special edition of the legendary kitchen gadget. Design historians now recognise the garlic press as an iconic Swiss design.

 
 
 

‘Swiss Inventions’ stamp series: the background story

Swiss Post has dedicated a stamp to the inventor of the toilet duck. It appeared in September 2025 and was the fifth stamp featuring a Swiss invention. The first four inventions were the garlic press, Menzi Muck diggers, Velcro fasteners and Barryvox avalanche transceivers. We’re dedicating a story to each of these legendary innovations.

 

Previous blogposts:

 

1. Toilet duck

 

“Swiss themes, especially ‘Swissness’, are very popular with our target group – collectors and philatelists. In combination with the theme of inventions, this helps to draw attention to Switzerland as a country of inventors,” wrote Swiss Post in response to a query from the IPI.

 

The five inventions were selected during a brainstorming session. “The aim was to showcase the diversity and richness of Swiss inventions while covering our target group’s wide-ranging areas of interest.”

 

The toilet duck completes the stamp series for the time being. So Swiss Post has compiled a folder containing all the stamps issued to date that feature Swiss inventions.

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