130+ Years of Passion! In 1884, Karl Elsener opened his cutler’s workshop in Ibach-Schwyz. At this time Switzerland was still one of the poorer countries in Europe. In the early years Karl Elsener worked to combat poverty and unemployment in the Schwyz basin, creating jobs and helping stem the flow of emigration.Today, Victorinox is a global company. Victorinox guarantees that its products meet the highest standards in all areas and quality is never compromised, regardless of the production site. The majority of Victorinox kitchen knives are manufactured in Switzerland.