Bring singularity to your dining room and kitchen with a beautiful, one of a kind spicemill from neotus! Unconventional by design, made from the best materials and crafted by master artisans these stunning creations are true objects of desire.
neotus was created by Michael Eich and his story is one of those that inspire you to go ahead and follow your dreams! One day, Michael stands in the department store and looks at the collection of pepper grinders, an army of soulless clones, all uniform by cause of mass production. And he thinks “Why, oh, why, do we always have to decide between industrial design and artisanal production?” In his mind, an idea forms: “Stop complaining about what is missing; Create it!” And so he did! The result is OFF-AXIS, a spice mill that is “sculpted” from one unique piece of wood. A true eye-catcher with its sleek lines that contrast the noble wood from which it is created.
Anybody, foodie or not, will love to have one of these beautiful spice mills! It is a design object that combines aesthetics and functionality and that will delight any aficionado. In the kitchen or on the dining table, it is a true highlight and will attract your guest’s attention.
neotus is based in Geneva and managed by Michael Eich, a banker turned startup founder. “It took me some time to take the plunge and to follow my passion, around 20 years, in fact. Before having long hair and sketching, I used to crunch numbers for banks.” In rage against the “cheaper, faster” mentality of today’s world and the slow death of artisanship in Europe, Michael decided to go against the odds. He had his own vision of spice mills and wanted to create something of noble woods and an artisanal production.
“With no experience in product design and no connection in the wood world, the creation of the first model was an epic journey. Nothing came easy, just to find an artisan willing to produce my prototypes… I think I sent about 200 emails!”, Michael remembers. He felt like giving up several times but persisted, thanks to the support of his family and friends. Eventually, after 18 months of R&D, hundreds of doodles, 20 prototypes, OFF-AXIS was ready!
“For my first product, I wanted to break the classic code of symmetry.” OFF-AXIS is the first really asymmetric spice mill, “sculpted” in one piece of wood, no glue, no bolt. This peculiarity is an eye-catcher. “Every piece is uniquely beautiful because every piece of wood has a different pattern.” The entire process is handcrafted, which adds to the uniqueness of each item. “We believe the imperfection of the human is a chance to add an extra bit of soul to the product.” Within its beautifully sculpted silhouette sits a ceramic mechanism designed for precision grinding. OFF-AXIS exists in 6 models, 2 sizes (185 and 222 mm) and 3 different woods (black American walnut, white walnut, cherry wood).
Michaels says that seeing his creation on his clients’ dining tables and in their kitchens today, is the best reward and encourages him to stay true to his initial reason of “why” to launch the product in the first place. Recently, two new models have joined the neotus family of beautiful spice mills: Karbon and Lines. And already, Michael is working on the next exciting project. At the moment, neotus products are exclusively available online.
If you would like to be able to purchase one of these gorgeous spice mills in a shop close to you, post the name of the shop in the comment box and we will see what we can do! Below are some personalities who are already loving neotus.
Andy Walch: World Cocktail Champion and Brand Ambassador
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Sara Dubler: Food Stylist, Food Photographer and Blogger