Joya

Joya is a Swiss comfort shoe brand, now part of the kybun Joya Group after a merger with kybun announced in 2022. It was founded by Karl Mueller junior, son of the MBT and kybun inventor. It matters as one of two sister brands in a Swiss health footwear group.

What is Joya?

Joya is a Swiss shoe brand focused on comfort and health footwear. It operates within the kybun Joya Group, which also owns kybun and lists group brands including Kandahar on its site.

History

The kybun announcement of the 2022 merger names Karl Mueller junior as the founder of Joya, and a 2012 Moneycab interview describes Mueller's eldest son running the Joya shoe brand with a store about 50 metres from kybun's in Roggwil. At that time the two brands were separate and the founder said customers should choose between them. The sources consulted do not give the founding year of Joya, so none is stated here.

In 2022 kybun and Joya announced a merger into the kybun Joya Group. The announced management team consisted of Urs Koller, Markus Bartholet, Karl Mueller and Claudio Minder, and the announcement referred to a focus on manufacturing Swiss-made footwear in Sennwald.

Business model and distribution

Joya shoes are sold through the brand's own online presence and through stores, but the sources consulted do not detail channel mix, store numbers or revenue. The group's websites offer country storefronts, a store finder and a partner programme, as seen on the kybun site.

Why it matters

Joya shows how a family-linked Swiss footwear business can consolidate two brands that began as competitors. It sits alongside kybun in a group that traces its design heritage back to the MBT rocker-sole concept.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Joya?

Joya belongs to the kybun Joya Group, formed through a merger of kybun and Joya announced in 2022.

Who founded Joya?

Karl Mueller junior is named as the founder of Joya in the group's merger announcement. He is the son of Karl Mueller, the inventor of MBT and kybun.

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