On course for growth in Europe

The family-owned company Züger Frischkäse AG has been producing the best cheese for decades - and beyond traditional recipes. As early as 1984, the first Züger mozzarella was launched on the market; today, the next generation of owners, Christof and Markus Züger, spoil their customers with ever new creations. Not only has the product range been significantly expanded, but the export business has also grown continuously. Currently, customers in 19 European countries are supplied safely and on time via DACHSER Food Logistics and the European Food Network.

Where is the finest mozzarella made? A good question for the best-known German quiz format 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. Not everyone will have the answer immediately: in Oberbüren, a small village in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. The village of 2300 inhabitants is the production site of Züger Frischkäse AG. The company was founded by Edwin Züger in 1998. Already at the beginning of the 1980s, he had the formative idea not to focus his business on the production of traditional cheeses, but to specialize in fresh cheese products, which were not so well known at the time. He acquired the necessary product knowledge and production methods through various stays abroad. In 1984, after an intensive and lengthy development period, the "Züger Mozzarella" was ready for the market and the first chapter of the success story was written.

Cheesemaker with passion

Today, Edwin Züger's sons Markus and Christof Züger run the company. The two brothers drive the successful development of the family business with innovative spirit and courage. In addition to the mozzarella, which is now also available in a special visual variant, namely in the shape of a heart, they have continuously expanded the product range with a keen sense of the market. At this time, 162 products are manufactured. Currently, the Swiss cream cheese specialists offer ricotta, mascarpone, cottage cheese, cream cheese variations, grilled cheese, quark, butter, and convenience products, among others - naturally also in organic quality and lactose-free. The vegan products Bio-MozzaVella and -MascarVone are very much in vogue.

The production of cheese has a very long tradition in Switzerland. Medieval sources show that the first cheese was produced in 1115 in the former county of Gruyères. Currently, nearly 200,000 tons are produced. The first place in the ranking is occupied by Le Gruyère AOP, followed by Mozzarella, Emmentaler AOP and Swiss Raclette cheese. The Alpine Republic produces some of the highest quality and best known cheeses. No wonder that the tasty varieties are in great demand all over the world. The Züger family can also look back on a long history. Since 1850, the knowledge of cheese production has been passed down from generation to generation. The original Swiss fresh cheese products from Züger are now consumed with great pleasure in 19 European countries - Züger Mozzarella is even shipped in large quantities to Italy, the mother country of this speciality.

New sales markets in sight

DACHSER Food Logistics has been logistics partner of Züger AG since 2005 and has played a key role in the development of the Swiss fresh cheese specialist's export business with its transport and warehouse services specializing in temperature-controlled foods. In particular, the combination of standardized and customer-specific logistics services as well as the permanently trained employees specialized in food logistics with their high quality standards are the foundation for the sustainable 18-year customer relationship. "At Züger, we attach great importance to the quality of our products. That's why it's only natural that we entrust our products to a logistics provider that also sets high quality and safety standards," says Christoph Scherrer, Member of the Executive Board, Head of Sales and Export at Züger.

With the founding of the European Food Network exactly ten years ago, initiated by Alfred Miller, Managing Director Food Logistics at DACHSER, the number of countries that can be reached within Europe via DACHSER Food Logistics has once again increased significantly - another decisive reason for the intensive long-term partnership. The fact that Züger's specialties are now even served in Oliveira de Azeméis in Portugal or in Marijampolė in Lithuania is an example of how strong the network is. This is because the members of the European Food Network, who have a presence in 34 European countries with almost full coverage, fulfill the tasks and challenges of Züger's export business 100 percent with uniform performance and quality standards as well as consistent IT. "The demand from European countries is high. That's why it's essential for us to have a logistics partner that supports us in opening up new markets quickly and smoothly. This is exactly what DACHSER Food Logistics offers us in conjunction with the European Food Network," says Christoph Scherrer. The results speak for themselves. Züger's sales have risen continuously, and this is due in particular to the high export rate of its high-quality products. Germany is the largest customer, followed by France and the Netherlands. The set goal of supplying countries that do not yet require the large quantities with the high-quality Swiss products is also being achieved. In 2022, for example, shipments also went to Denmark, the Czech Republic and Ireland.

Transported safely and on time throughout Europe

The members of the European Food Network are on duty around the clock and are highly committed to ensuring that the products are transported safely and on time to the European destinations and countries currently preferred by Züger. This is a real added value for Züger Frischkäse AG. Because by bundling general cargo loads, the framework is set to save costs, personnel and time because capacities are used efficiently and cost-consciously. "Züger has the greatest possible planning security due to the defined transit times, fixed connections and daily departures. We transport even smaller shipments extremely reliably to the far corners of Europe," confirms Michael Goerigk, Sales Manager Food Logistics at DACHSER, who has been providing Züger with comprehensive support from the very beginning and accompanying the export strategy with his expertise.

Everything from one source

By focusing on general cargo, the members of the European Food Network offer Swiss companies reliable and flexible logistics services. In Europe, they have a network of cross-docking platforms near the borders with direct connections to the destination countries. The Europe-wide networking of more than 200 locations through closely timed scheduled transports creates the conditions for reliable arrival times and high availability of transport capacities for the temperature-controlled food shipments. Every day, DACHSER alone operates up to three semi-trailers for Züger. The general cargo is bundled via DACHSER's Steißlingen branch and distributed across the network depending on the destination. In addition, two to three weekly direct loads to food retailers are carried out. At any time, Züger has the possibility to call up the shipment status. This is because the flow of information accompanying the goods via tracking & tracing or the permanent documentation of the temperature is regulated throughout Europe. The strict control measures, which are based on the requirements of IFS Logistics, are also checked within the network to ensure that the internal standards defined in the European Food Network are consistently implemented within the supply chain.

The experts at DACHSER Food Logistics also take care of all customs clearance and the legally required organic inspection for Züger. In concrete terms, this means that Züger's organic mozzarella, for example, is demonstrably made from organic milk and meets the legal requirements of the European Union. Specially trained employees have the necessary authorization. They check whether the goods are labeled accordingly. They then issue the legally required confirmation. Michael Goerigk: "Because Züger handles the entire logistics processes required for export through us, we significantly reduce the complexity and thus the effort on the customer's side."