The passionate yogurt masters from Splügen
The passionate yogurt masters from Splügen
Sennerei Splügen – the popular small cheese dairy and village shop at 1,457 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Splügen Pass. We visited our longtime yogurt producers, Marian and Jürg, in the Grisons mountains and chatted about craftsmanship and team bonding.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SENNEREI SPLÜGEN
31 years ago, Marian and Jürg from Berne came across an advertisement in the Swiss Milk Newspaper looking for a cheesemaker to take over the Sennerei Splügen. At that time, there were only a few trained cheesemakers in the canton of Graubünden – which the two modestly refer to as 'their luck.' Since then, they have been running the popular cheese dairy at the foot of the Splügen Pass together with the nine dairy farmers from Splügen and the surrounding villages of Sufers, Medels, and Andeer. Twice a day, the farmers bring fresh milk to the Sennerei Splügen, where it is transformed into cheese, yogurts, and our parfaits. In addition to their dairy products, they also feature a variety of goods from small local businesses across Switzerland in their village shop, which Marian considers her pride and joy.
THE HEART OF THEIR SUCCESS
The recipe for success at Sennerei Splügen clearly lies in the people involved. From the two daughters ("our harshest critics") to the dedicated employees to the apprentices and farming families - everyone stands behind the Splügen Alpine dairy with a great deal of passion and dedication. During our visit, we also felt how important cohesion and a good team spirit are here. Every morning, the whole team has breakfast together - prepared by Marian - before the daily work begins. Twice a year, they organize a party with all the farming families to celebrate the good teamwork with braided bread and cheese.
"Without our dedicated team and farmer families, none of this would be possible."
the success story of the seasonal classics
One year, when the workload at the dairy slowed down towards the end of the fall, Marian and Jürg wanted to keep two of their employees on during the transition period to winter. They had a special idea: why not create a new yogurt for the Christmas season? No sooner said than done - the 13-strong team tasted and perfected the creation, until finally the Zwimi parfait with plums and the Manzi parfait with mandarins were born. Both varieties were so well received that they are still on sale in the display case today. In the years that followed, further creative varieties were created for FELFEL , such as the Himbi - Summer Edition and the Kanzi - Autumn Edition with chestnuts.
The craftsmanship behind the perfect parfait
To this day, every single parfait is filled by hand: First a layer of fruit compote, then yogurt, followed by a spoonful of nut crumble and finally another layer of yogurt. For FELFEL alone, they spend half a day every week making 'therapeutic' parfait.
Favorite parfait? For Marian, it's definitely the Kanzi.
FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO felfel: A LONG-TERM COLLABORATION
In 2016, FELFEL founders Daniela and Emanuel Steiner discovered the small alpine dairy on a trip over the Splügen Pass - a real insider tip. Enthused by the exceptional quality, authentic taste and shared values, it quickly became clear: the Graubünden breakfast specialties belong in the FELFEL fridge! Today, Sennerei Splügen produces seasonal parfaits for FELFEL. The collaboration has made it possible to preserve traditional manual labor in yogurt production and at the same time further develop the dairy. The team now has a proud 13 employees - proof of how joint commitment can lead to growth and success.
