This case centres on Sknife, a Swiss luxury cutlery company founded in 2015 by Michaël Bach, a former watchmaking materials engineer. Sknife has built a distinctive reputation by combining engineering precision with artisanal craftsmanship to produce high-performance knives made from surgical-grade steel. Initially focused on top restaurants and Michelin-starred chefs, the company gained prestige through direct relationships and now serves over 150 chefs representing more than 300 Michelin stars. Its expansion into full cutlery collections and luxury pocket knives has broadened its appeal, while its handcrafted production model and small team continue to constrain scale. By 2025, Sknife had reached a pivotal moment, prompting Bach to explore three avenues for growth simultaneously: product diversification, geographic expansion, and the development of a direct-to-consumer channel. The case highlights the ongoing tension between scaling the business and preserving the exclusivity, quality, and identity that are central to its luxury positioning.

• Analyze the strategic trade-offs niche luxury brands face as they seek to grow beyond their original market or product line.
• Identify key stakeholders and assess how their contributions and expectations influence a brand’s direction.
• Reflect on craftsmanship’s operational limits and how production constraints impact decisions around diversification, customization, and scaling.
• Debate go-to-market strategies for reaching private customers in high-end segments, particularly when traditional luxury distribution channels (e.g., private clubs, exclusive events) are difficult to systematize or track.
• Explore the tension between exclusivity and visibility, and what it means to scale without compromising a brand’s positioning, identity, or product integrity.