Dinosaurs, croissants and icebreakers: gems from the Swiss commercial register
Every Swiss company must declare its purpose in the commercial register. Most entries are exactly what you'd expect: consulting, software, trade in goods. We went through over 21,000 notices from the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SHAB/FOSC) and found some that go off-script.
All filings below are historical: they describe what a company registered, not what it necessarily does today. Our guide to reading SHAB/FOSC explains how the entries work. Quotations are from the original notices; translations are ours.
The art dealer who trades in dinosaurs
Caroline Lang Fine Arts Sàrl is a Geneva gallery whose registered purpose covers art valuations, conservation and framing. The notice filed on 23 December 2025 then slips in one extra item at the end of a long list:
«l'importation et l'exportation d'œuvres d'art, peintures, dessins, sculptures, objets précieux et dinosaures»
"The import and export of works of art, paintings, drawings, sculptures, precious objects and dinosaurs." Original notice.
Dinosaurs, tucked in after "precious objects" with no further comment, as if the registrar wouldn't notice.
If you actually want fossils, though, there's a dedicated supplier. Dinosaur Studio AG in Zurich (notice of 5 February 2025) covers excavations, fossil preparation, exhibitions, and explicitly: «die Sammlung, die Vermietung und den Handel mit Fossilien» ("the collection, rental and trade of fossils"). Fossil rental. For when you need a T. rex for the weekend. Original notice.
Croissants and conduit work
Constantine Kiros Sàrl in Valais filed a single purpose clause on 11 December 2018 that begins with a pastry shop and, without a paragraph break, pivots to electrical installations:
«L'exploitation d'une pâtisserie, croissanterie, tea-room et de tout ce qui s'y rapporte, ainsi que l'exécution de tous travaux en relation avec les installations électriques, en particulier le gainage (cf. statuts pour but complet)»
"Running a pastry shop, croissant shop and tea room, and all related activities, as well as carrying out all work relating to electrical installations, particularly conduit work." Original notice.
The clause is admirably specific on both sides: it names croissants, and it singles out conduit work. No vague "and other activities."
From fixing pipes to operating icebreakers
AQUA rep Haustechnik GmbH in Zurich (1 April 2020) starts where you'd expect for a building-services company: plumbing, heating, ventilation, solar, air conditioning. Then the purpose keeps going. And going.
«Betrieb einer Reederei, insbesondere Betrieb von Passagier-, Tanker-, Frachtschiffen und Eisbrechern»
"Operating a shipping company, in particular the operation of passenger ships, tankers, cargo ships and icebreakers." Original notice.
The same purpose also covers running an airline (passenger, cargo and mail transport, pilot training, aircraft sales and leasing) and a dredging operation. Whatever this company's founders had in mind, they wanted to keep their options open.
A café that sends letters to the future
Café chez Louti GmbH incorporated in Zurich on 30 October 2025. The café part is straightforward. Then:
«Darüber hinaus bietet das Unternehmen die Dienstleistung an, Briefe an die Zukunft zu verfassen, zu archivieren und zu einem späteren, vom Kunden bestimmten Zeitpunkt zu versenden.»
"The company also offers the service of writing letters to the future, archiving them, and sending them at a later date chosen by the customer." Original notice.
Write a letter over coffee, and the café will mail it on the date you pick. A letter to your future self, five years from now, delivered by your local Zurich café. This one might actually be charming.
Knife care, sailing lessons and radioactive-waste advice
Tom's Dienstleistungen GmbH in Fribourg (6 July 2020) registered three activities, listed plainly one after the other:
«Messerpflege. Segelkurse. Beratung zur Entsorgung radioaktiver Materialien.»
"Knife care. Sailing lessons. Advice on the disposal of radioactive materials." Original notice.
Somewhere in Fribourg, Tom sharpens a blade, rigs a sail, and advises on spent fuel rods, presumably not all on the same afternoon.
A landscaper with medieval interests
Claude Jardins Sàrl in Valais (15 October 2024) registered for landscaping, horticulture, catering and banquets. And then, at the end: «l'activité de médiéviste» ("the activity of a medievalist"). Original notice.
Hedge trimming in the morning, 12th-century manuscripts in the afternoon.
Sources
Prospex selected these examples from over 21,000 sampled notices from 2018 to 2026, supplemented by targeted searches. Quotations and publication dates were checked against preserved original notices; the English translations are ours. The selection is editorial and does not measure how common unusual purposes are. For the distinction between the gazette and the registers themselves, see our guide on where Swiss company data lives.