As the bus bumps down a narrow Swiss farm road, it is obvious that it was not made with buses in mind. However, our driver seems to know a thing or two about handling even the toughest roads in Switzerland.
Together with fellow journalists from around the world, I admire the beautiful Midlands scenery on our way to visit Pascal Gutknecht’s farm, Gutknecht Gemüse, in Ried Kerzers. I am told these parts are considered a hub for vegetable production.
Outside my bus window, fields of leeks and onions come into focus. They are neatly intercropped with a vegetable that is hard to identify from where I sit. Far off in the distance, farmworkers can be seen working the fields.
The farm is co-owned by a group of friends: Bruno and Karin Gutknecht, Pascal Gutknecht, and Thomas Etter. Together, they manage 130 hectares of outdoor crops and seven hectares of greenhouses, growing everything from broccoli and leeks to tomatoes and cucumbers.
It is a massive operation with around 120 seasonal workers from eight countries helping during peak times. Their main customers include Swiss supermarkets like Migros, which sells produce under its regional label, “From the region for the region”.
Learning lessons along the way
The bus stops and Pascal greets us with coffee and rusks. “Welcome to Gutknecht Gemüse,” he says, leading us towards the farm’s shop, which they started ten years ago.
Before being a farm store, Pascal planted tomatoes here. The shop is more than just a place to sell vegetables. It is a testing ground to gain an understanding of customer preferences.
“It’s a direct link to what people want. We can experiment here and get instant feedback,” he says.
In the farm store, Pascal shares how one of their experiments did not quite work out.
“We tried growing Italian zucchinis. Really long ones, almost a metre. They tasted great, but no one bought them. We couldn’t sell a single one.” He laughs, remembering how they eventually ripped out all the plants.
“We sold 0.0%. My family ended up eating the few we managed to grow,” he shares with another laugh.
The farm store also allows Pascal and his partners to bypass the dependency on large retailers. Although, not completely. Ten years ago, they realised that relying solely on retail chains was not sustainable.
By selling directly to customers, they regained some negotiating power. “I’ve been in situations where the customer didn’t want to pay what I was asking, so I said without getting angry, ‘Let’s stop here, I’ll go somewhere else.’ And suddenly, the deal changed.”
However, you have to be realistic with your prices, but having options puts you in a better position, he advises.
The farm shop is also a way for them to sell second-class produce that does not meet the strict quality standards required by supermarkets but is still perfectly good.
Sustainable farming practices
Walking through one of his greenhouses, Pascal points to the tomato plants. Here, they grow 23 different tomato varieties from January to November. The tomatoes are grown in coconut fibre, a sustainable substrate that stores water very well. It looks dry but if you squeeze it, water drips out.
The farm uses a closed irrigation system, where rainwater is collected, treated, and reused. “There’s no waste. It’s the most efficient system we know,” he believes.
The farm places a strong emphasis on sustainability. Their greenhouses are heated without fossil fuels, and solar panels provide 50% to 60% of their annual electricity needs.
They use biological solutions and integrated pest management to help reduce the need for pesticides. Pascal takes pride in their approach. He says their goal is to keep crops healthy from the start rather than fixing problems later.
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Additional revenue
In addition to growing vegetables, Gutknecht Gemüse offers a relabelling and repacking service to retailers. “Sometimes imported produce isn’t labelled correctly or the packaging is wrong. We fix it for them. It’s very profitable and solves their problem quickly.”
The farm is also future-forward, with plans for the next generation already in place.
“In the last 20 years, we’ve invested 23 million Swiss francs, about R486 million. We’re always thinking 20 years ahead.”
They also operate with a five-year budget plan, ensuring they know where to invest and how much.
This thriving vegetable farm has come a long way from its beginnings, initially relying on interest-free repayable loans to get started.
“If the state were to say tomorrow [there is] no more support for farmers, it would not make a difference to our business,” Pascal explains with a smile.
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