"NIKIN" stands for the up-and-coming Lenzburg-based start-up that plants a tree for every product – soon, that number will reach 1.5 million. But what's behind the name "NIKIN"? We'll explain it to you.
It all began in late autumn 2016: two guys met for a beer in a pub and developed an idea. What began as a small regional side project grew into a full-fledged company, and now, almost five years later, it's grown into a real company known far beyond the country's borders. From a tiny seed, to a growing sapling, and from there to a sturdy young tree that slowly continues to grow taller – just like the approximately 1.2 million trees that have been planted around the world so far thanks to this extraordinary idea.
For almost five years, the name "NIKIN" has been on everyone's lips, or rather, the expression "the ones with the trees." Often, when someone is mentioned by the name NIKIN, the only response is a questioning shake of the head and a shrug of the shoulders. But when it's then added that they're the ones who plant trees, a light bulb goes off for most people, and a "aaaha, yeah, of course, I've heard of them—I even have a TreeShirt and a pair of TreeSocks myself" brings clarity.
But our real name is "NIKIN," accompanied by our slogan "Tree by Tree." NIKIN is pronounced the same way it's spelled; depending on the language and emphasis, the "K" can be pronounced a bit more scratchy or softer. And by the way, the word NIKIN is a palindrome, meaning it always means the same whether read forwards or backwards.
And where does the name NIKIN actually come from?
What is the literal meaning of "NIKIN"? Is the name derived from a Greek goddess, like the sports giant "Nike"? No, of course not. To explain this, we have to go back a few years. The name "NIKIN" has an older origin, dating back to around 2013.
Nicholas, one of the two founders, started a small project back then, which he named "NIKIT," derived from his name. These gym bags were a worldwide hit back then but are now somewhat out of fashion. These practical backpacks offered enough space for short trips or sports equipment. Nicholas refined the basic idea of such a bag with ingenious integrated pockets. His specially developed logo featured the letter "N" and two chain links connected together. The vision behind it was that Nicholas wanted to combine style and functionality with his bags. As it turned out, he succeeded. He had around 1,000 bags manufactured in China and shipped to Switzerland, from where he launched sales through his online shop. The bags sold quickly, and soon they were no longer limited to Lenzburg, Nicholas's hometown. It wasn't long before the world-famous snowboard brand "NIKITA" from Iceland came knocking and insisted on its trademark protection, which prohibited Nicholas from producing any further products under the name "NIKIT." So, this ambitious project was temporarily put on hold.
Nicholas, Robin and a beer become NIKIN
The story of NIKIN is one of those infamous beer ideas that begin with a simple idea and then one thing leads to another. In October 2016, childhood friends Nicholas and Robin met for a beer in Lenzburg. The two families are very good friends; Nicholas and Robin played together in the sandbox, then they joined the Scouts together, and when they were a little older, they skated together in the streets of Lenzburg. And Zazoo and Simba, as Nicholas and Robin are known in the Scouts, clearly still share this love of nature – today they are business partners and have planted almost one and a half million trees.
But one question still remains: what does "NIKIN" actually mean? "NIKIN" is a combination of the names of the two founders, Nicholas and Robin. Funnily enough, they didn't notice this coincidence until months later. First and foremost, the brand was no longer allowed to be called "NIKIT," so they settled on "NIKIN" back in the pub because it looked aesthetically pleasing and sounded onomatopoeic. The logo has also changed in the meantime—the chain links gradually disappeared, and the tree—the typical "NIKIN fir" with a narrow trunk—moved into focus and adorns all of our products. And so we will probably always be "the ones with the trees," but we hope that people will remember the name "NIKIN" in the future.
PS: "NIKIN" is the only correct spelling. Media companies don't usually write brand names in capital letters, so "Nikin" works in these cases. But we're neither "NICKIN" nor "NIKKIN" nor "NIKON." ;-)
