Cheese production, storage, as well as shipping and packaging on a larger scale - this brings with it some challenges, especially if you want to remain environmentally friendly, respectful and true to the environment and tradition. A look behind the scenes and into Güntensperger's Daily (Dairy) Challenges, which go far beyond cheese production.
In the end, we turn milk into cheese and make sure that it reaches you - but that takes some doing
A company with high ethics
Güntensperger Käse AG remains true to its home, Toggenburg, and differs in many ways from other cheese producers and exporters - even though we share similar challenges. As a transparent company, we would like to share with you in this blog our daily business and the challenges we are constantly overcoming as a growing company while remaining true to our values.
Our tasks go far beyond cheese production. It is about the dairy industry, fluctuating currencies, exports and imports, competition and cooperation. We are also committed to preserving and supporting local smallholders and are faced with political decisions that affect the food industry.
Below we present some of the key areas in which Güntensperger regularly asserts itself.
The right amount
Good cheese takes time. It often takes months or even years from the milk to the matured cheese wheel, especially with the long-matured varieties. Güntensperger supplies both small stores and large resellers. Our cheeses are stored in three different warehouses, with storage capacities in the thousands. Cheese that we produce today should still be sold many months from now - we want to avoid both overproduction and underproduction as far as possible.
Our customers rely on our delivery reliability, so there has to be enough cheese - but it would be a shame to sit on too much cheese, as this would waste the valuable raw material of milk. It often feels like we have to look into a crystal ball to plan the right amount. But thanks to our experience gained over generations and the further utilization of our cheese in products such as fondue, grated cheese, Cheese Bangers or Swiss Cowers, we manage to avoid overproduction. Forward-looking and fair agreements with our partners and our active network in the cheese world help us to estimate future demand. In this way, we manage to grow every year and positively surprise ourselves in terms of volume planning.
Quality guaranteed
From the dairy farmers to the cheese dairies to storage, care and shipping - the quality must be first-class and flawless everywhere so that our cheese maintains the high standard that our customers expect. At Güntensperger, everyone works with professionalism and dedication: the farmers, the cheesemakers, the warehouse workers, the office, the marketing department and the management.
Our quality management (QM) has the task of ensuring that the quality is right at all times and everywhere - a demanding job. Particular care is required in our cheese cellars, where our “culinary gold” is stored and matured. Unwanted germs could put thousands of hours of work and thousands of liters of milk at risk. That's why we always make sure that our cheese is of the highest quality and ready for our customers to enjoy.
Currencies
Like many companies in the food sector that export, we also have to deal with fluctuating currencies. Inflation is a global issue and we have to constantly reassess how we react to it. The Swiss franc remains strong, which makes exporting from Switzerland more difficult. Our customers outside Switzerland could suddenly have to pay more for our products due to currency shifts. In such situations, we weigh up: Can we bear the costs ourselves? Do we have to adjust our prices? Direct dialog with our customers is crucial here.
However, Güntensperger is broadly positioned: We deliver both within Switzerland and to over 20 countries worldwide. This means that we can often cushion fluctuations, regardless of whether they occur at home or abroad.
Milk market, milk supply, milk prices
The most important ingredient for good cheese is, of course, the milk. At Güntensperger, we work with both cow's and goat's milk from respectful small farmers who pay attention to animal welfare and the careful treatment of nature. As we have experienced again this summer, no two summers are the same - sometimes there is more rain, sometimes less. These weather conditions affect the pastures, which in turn affect milk production.
When you work with sustainable small farms, you have to adapt to nature. We greatly appreciate this cooperation and would like to maintain it in the future. However, the amount of milk available fluctuates over the months and our cheese dairies need to prepare for this early on so that the right cheese can be produced in good time. Our experience, close cooperation with dairy farmers and an eye on future trends help us to do this.
We also focus on fairness when it comes to milk prices. We do not negotiate hard with the farmers, but ensure that our sales prices are adjusted to reflect the current market situation. In this way, we support the farmers - and the farmers support us.
Politics, nutrition trends, generations
The federal government recently reiterated the importance of dairy products in the food pyramid. This national statement strengthens the demand for dairy products, which is positive for us. In the long term, however, far-reaching social changes and short-lived dietary trends will have a greater impact on the demand for cheese. For example, we are seeing a trend towards (or away from) vegan diets, which may reduce demand for dairy products. At the same time, the decline in meat consumption often leads to a greater interest in dairy products.
Particularly in certain social classes, interest in organic products is increasing. Güntensperger is increasingly offering cheese with an organic label, even though our milk generally already comes from sustainable production.
Keeping up with the times
The challenges that Güntensperger Käse AG enjoys taking on go far beyond cheese production. With a wealth of experience, fair and sustainable cooperation with producers and customers, and a keen eye on world events, we hold our own in the cheese business and bring unique cheese made with love to the market.
If you would like to find out more about the exciting world of cheese, we recommend various newsletters and publications that we enjoy reading ourselves.
Here are some links:
News, articles, information on Swiss Milk for producers and interested parties
Fromarte - Dachverband Schweizer Käsespezialisten - Info, news, interesting facts
Interesting reading, news and background information on the world of milk and cheese, various links and websites
We stay in touch at all levels and are always happy to exchange ideas. At the end of the day, we all work best together.
See you soon,
Your Güntensperger Käse AG Team
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