Our farming families
Ivo Wegmann and Lorenz Wyss

27. November 2020

The secret Natura-Beef’s success – a remarkable partnership ‘from fork to fork‘

Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal: for 40 and 11 years respectively, meat from grass and species-appropriate suckler cow husbandry. Quality from A to Z or from (pitch)fork to (table) fork. (Photo: mad)

40 years ago suckler cow breeders launched the Natura-Beef brand. How did this come about?

Ivo Wegmann (IW): At the time brands were still unknown on the meat market. People didn’t believe that a brand could achieve real recognition.
Lorenz Wyss (LW): Right. When I completed my apprenticeship as a butcher, there were indeed labels on meat production, but these referred to the processing. I could hardly imagine then that meat could be associated with a strong brand.

Natura-Beef has done this. What’s the secret of its success?

IW: Several aspects were important at the time of launch. The most important was that first a marketing channel had to be created for animals from suckler cow husbandry, because this type of livestock farming was unknown in Switzerland back then. The Board and expert marketing group of Suckler Cow Switzerland had to come up with good arguments for both butchers and consumers.

LW: That’s right, I was not familiar then with the comprehensive approach of ‘fork to fork‘. – the idea of marketing meat with the whole production process from the pitchfork through to the fork on the dining table.

IW: Natura-Beef has done just that. It was the first meat label with an all-embracing approach. It includes everything from appropriate livestock rearing and feeding to quality and guaranteed traceability.

Being the first label – was that the key to success?

LW: Yes, but not only. Transparency with respect to dealing, quantities and prices was emphasized from the outset and is based on a unique partnership. When I came to Coop 25 years ago I dealt with the sale of Natura-Beef for the first time. Natura-Beef was a major pillar in the creation of Naturaplan, and is so strong as a product that it has found favour with consumers. Furthermore, it has withstood the structural changes in the retail trade. Later I switched to Bell, and Natura-Beef remained in my file. The long-standing cooperation between Suckler Cow Switzerland, VIANCO, Viegut, Bell and Coop is a model for many. The strength of such a partnership can be seen above all in strategic planning and in crisis situations.

IW: I also think that this unique partnership has contributed significantly to the success. Coop and Suckler Cow Switzerland work hard on communication so that Natura-Beef maintains its presence and is viewed in the right light. We need to say what we are doing while at the same time doing what we say, of course. Otherwise it won’t work. And naturally the quality must also be right. At the beginning this was very uneven. Everything was new, both producers and product. The technique was unfamiliar and there was no user’s guide. Farmers as well as butchers had to deal with quality complaints

LW: Today it’s a different story. Butchers have learned how to handle this unique meat and the producers have become professionals. Without this marked improvement in quality, Natura-Beef wouldn‘t have reached today‘s level.

Livestock farming continues to be a controversial factor in the debate on climate. But letting suckler cows and their calves graze on alpine meadows and steep slopes is an ideal way of preserving these unique landscapes. (Photo : mad)

Mutterkuh Schweiz hat immer wieder Trends der Zeit aufgenommen und integriert, um Natura-Beef weiterzuentwickeln. Welche Trends seht Ihr heute?

IW: Natura-Beef und die vor elf Jahren eingeführte Schwestermarke Natura-Veal sind gut aufgestellt. Die Produkte stehen für das, was von der Landwirtschaft und Fleischbranche verlangt wird. Damit gewinnen wir die Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten. Wir müssen auf unsere Stärken bauen. Das sind Tierwohl, Fleisch aus Gras und Produktequalität. Damit können wir auch neue Herausforderungen meistern. Ein Beispiel ist die Klimadiskussion. Wird die Thematik umfassend beurteilt, kommt man zum Schluss, dass die Nutzung unserer Grasflächen eine der besten Antworten auf diese Frage ist.

LW: Natura-Beef ist das Original. Bell investiert in Qualität, Tierwohl und Logistik. Das Know-How ist hoch und trotzdem werden im Schlachthofprojekt in Oensingen bereits weitere, ganz neue Aspekte bei der Tieranlieferung, Schlachtung und Verarbeitung einbezogen. Die Diskussionen um Vegetarismus und Veganismus werden anhalten. Wir müssen diejenigen Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten begeistern, die Fleischgenuss unter Berücksichtigung von Tier, Natur und Umwelt suchen. Das Potential ist gross.

IW: Genau – und Pioniergeist ist auch weiterhin gefragt! Wir müssen unverändert den Mut zu Aussergewöhnlichem haben.

LW: Keine Frage! Bell ist dabei.