History
Emil Salvisberg founded the sole proprietorship Salvis in the Swiss village of Reussbühl (in the canton of Lucerne) in 1915. By doing so, he laid the foundations for a company that would go on to achieve a number of milestones in the world of food services and catering. In 1919, for example, Salvis manufactured the first electric hob. The company was taken over by the brewery Brauerei Eichhof in 1960 and was then acquired by the catering equipment company Franke Verpflegungstechnik in 1997. Its equipment was subsequently marketed under the two brand names of Salvis and Franke. When Franke Verpflegungstechnik AG was eventually sold to the German Gustatus Group in 2002, its name was changed to Salvis AG in 2004.
Equipment Development
Regardless of their ownership situations, both Franke and Salvis have always developed and optimised high-quality equipment for professional kitchens and thus helped to significantly support catering professionals in their work. Some of the milestones in the companies' equipment development histories include the production of the first electric hob by Salvis and the first professional pressure steamer by Franke Verpflegungstechnik, which was launched on the market 37 years ago and was immediately met with a positive and widespread response. Franke additionally launched its most state-of-the-art salamander appliance 36 years ago, providing the catering world with a brand-new product that created a furore in professional kitchens. The new appliance was the first salamander to feature a height-adjustable reflector and was therefore exactly what professional chefs had been waiting for. As a result, it attracted a multitude of enthusiastic buyers in a short space of time and some 10,000 units are now putting a smile on the face of chefs in professional kitchens all over the world. Franke topped off its range of equipment by launching its combi-steamer 30 years ago and countless owners of Salvis combi-steamers have sworn by the strengths of these appliances ever since.