Switzerland's sourdough king
Switzerland's sourdough king
Martin Mayer runs the traditional Vuaillat bakery, where we met him in his cozy shop in the heart of Zurich. The passionate baker conveys the real neighborhood bakery feeling and brings a breath of fresh air to the industry with creative ideas and unique sourdough creations. Vuaillat has won the Falstaff Award for "Most Popular Bakery-Confectionery in Zurich" three years in a row - a sign of the special quality and success of this bakery.
The start of the Vuaillat Bakery & Confectionery success story
Martin Mayer, a trained baker with a big heart for the craft, moved to New Zealand at a young age, where he took over a bakery and fell in love with the art of sourdough creations. During a vacation trip to Switzerland, he noticed that real sourdough, as he now knew it from New Zealand, hardly existed here. The dream was born: Martin wanted to bring the sourdough craft back to his Swiss homeland! With a little luck and a lot of charm, he managed to take over the Vuaillat bakery with two locations in Zurich in 2016. With a smile, he explains how word of his artisan sourdough quality quickly spread. "Our industry may sometimes seem outdated, but I immediately recognized Vuaillat's potential to build something unique with my sourdough!"
The magic recipe behind Vuaillat sourdough
Today, there are many small-scale sourdough bakers, but the original from Vuaillat remains something very special. Martin and his team work with wheat sourdough in a slow, gentle process that does not use any commercially produced yeast - and this gentle method makes all the difference to the taste.
During the pandemic, sourdough has made a real comeback and many have tried their hand at it in the home kitchen. But at Vuaillat, sourdough cultures are worked on and cared for with passion and love every day. Five different cultures are nurtured and cared for here - one of which is over 70 years old and comes from Italy. ''And our own culture, which we cultivate every day here in Switzerland, has been growing happily for eight years now,'' says Martin proudly. Vuaillat currently produces not only the popular sandwiches for FELFEL , but also the unique sourdough donuts - all made with his sourdough, of course.
Vuaillat's foundation: a team with heart and tradition
In today's world, Martin believes it is crucial to have a team that is fully committed to his special bakery tradition. He therefore attaches great importance to the fact that at Vuaillat, the commitment and identification of employees with the company is encouraged on a daily basis. This is precisely what has made Vuaillat what it is today, he says. His recipe for success? Martin has seen a lot of the world and believes that this has given him the courage to break new and innovative ground. The team takes center stage - together they celebrate their work and proudly pass on their knowledge to their apprentices.
"My recipe for success? I've seen a lot of the world and I think that gives us the courage to break new, innovative ground in an often outdated industry."
Vuaillat and FELFEL: A partnership based on trust
Shortly after Martin took over the Vuaillat operations in 2016, FELFEL became aware of the innovative sourdough creations and the unique quality - and was immediately impressed! This enthusiasm led to a trusting collaboration between Vuaillat and FELFEL in 2018, which continues to this day. "The partnership with FELFEL was exciting right from the start and always focused on growth," says Martin. He is particularly enthusiastic about the shared spirit of breaking new ground and always focusing on the highest quality. The creative jack-of-all-trades already runs 5 Vuaillat stores in Zurich and the surrounding area. The partnership with FELFEL has remained an important driver of innovation: this is how the jointly developed sourdough donuts came about. ''Today they are a hit, both in the FELFEL fridges and in our own stores,'' says Martin happily. We look forward to many more exciting Vuaillat creations for FELFEL!
