The Swiss get their hands dirty and the mills cry

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Making bread or pasta at home is one of the most popular activities during this time of confinement. The demand for flour has therefore skyrocketed. But for flour mills, which supply Switzerland with flour, the period is not necessarily good.

It has happened to everyone in recent times to note the absence of essential products on the shelves of stores. In Switzerland, security stocks have suddenly become a hot topic again. The demand for basic necessities, long-life food or flour has increased.

Nowadays, getting your hands dirty has found its original meaning in many homes. Witness the photos of loaves of bread, pasta or homemade cakes posted on social networks.

In fact, the production of flour for domestic use has increased significantly, as confirmed by Alessandro Fontana, owner of the Maroggia mill.External link, as the spokesperson for the large Coop distributor, Marilena Baiatu.

One would therefore think that the Swiss millsExternal link (there are about a hundred) are under strong pressure to meet current demand. Those who are more worried will also wonder if there will be enough flour for the next few weeks or months.

Decrease in flour production

However, many mills had to reduce their activities. “Overall production has dropped 25 to 30%, confirms Alessandro Fontana. It is the delicatessens and bakeries that normally absorb our production. As we know, restaurants and pizzerias are closed and bakeries are working at a slower pace, producing about half as much as before containment measures. “

These traditional customers buy flour in 25 kg bags. This is no longer the case with individual customers. “We have had an exponential increase in demand for flour in half-kilo and one-kilo bags. The flour sector for retail sales before the crisis represented one-tenth of production. Now, in a week, we prepare as many 1 kg flour packages as in a month. And the trend is going up, ”explains Alessandro Fontana.

For large distributors such as Coop and its subsidiary SwissmillExternal link (which grinds 1000 tonnes of bread-making cereals per day), the situation remains the same: “Individual demand for flour has increased significantly,” says Marilena Baiatu. In March, it tripled in Coop stores. Swissmill has increased its production capacity and also its staff. In short, our stores can cope with new demands without any problem. ”

Online orders

The speech is different for small producers. In order to partially reduce losses, the Maroggia mill counts on its online portal. “The number of orders via our web platform is impressive,” says Alessandro Fontana. It was an intuition of a few years ago and today we are reaping the benefits. It seemed strange to offer our products online when they were probably not the most popular on the net. Now, I can say that it is a beautiful reality, unimaginable only a few weeks ago. ”

Raw materials available

There is no shortage of raw materials – bread-making cereals such as wheat, spelled and rye. “We have a good supply, because we buy a large batch of raw materials at the time of harvest in June / July. Then, during the year, we make other purchases as needed, ”specifies the owner of the Maroggia mill, which holds around 6,500 tonnes.

“Then, reminds Alessandro Fontana, flour is part of the compulsory stock managed by the Swiss ReserveExternal link. The Confederation foresees an adequate supply of breadmaking cereals for four months. In this context, 1000 tonnes of our stock theoretically belongs to the Confederation. ”

The compulsory stocks of the Confederation are not affected. The situation is definitely under control. Another important factor must be remembered: “Almost 80% of bread-making cereals are of Swiss origin. They are produced by our farmers, underlines Alessandro Fontana, so we can say that we are not dependent on foreign countries ”. The rest of our needs come from Canada and Brazil.

If the health crisis were to last a long time and it is therefore necessary to draw on the Confederation’s reserves, Alessandro Fontana has a solution: “In wartime, for example, my grandfather told me, flour was not refined like today.” By producing whole flour, it is possible to save up to 30% of ground cereals.

“But I must say,” concludes Alessandro Fontana, “the mill I run has never experienced a similar situation. It is an exceptional event for us too. ”

>> Coronavirus and food stocks. The program ABE (RTS) took stock on March 31: