Appenzeller fruit juice and alcohol-free beer have come together in Bschorle. This trendy drink guarantees a good price for the fruit, which secures the preservation of the trees. And now it has been nominated for the agroPreis 2017. On November 2nd the presentation of the product will take place in Bern.
Topfruit trees are a traditional element of the Appenzellerland; in many places they are characteristic for the landscape. The drop in prices for fruit dedicated to making fruit juices, combined with stagnating sales, threatened the future of this traditional business. Fredi Klee, a farmer from Oberegg, asked local brewery Locher AG to develop a mixed drink from Appenzeller Bier and Appenzeller fruit juice: Bschorle. Meanwhile, a second product was launched, the Bieressig, a balsamic vinegar from Appenzeller fruit and beer.
Only two years after the first conversations between Fredi Klee and the Locher brewery the Bschorle burst onto supermarket shelves of the Northeast of Switzerland. This was only possible thanks to a consistent division of labor: the firm of Appenzeller Most organizes the collection of fruit as well as pressing and the concentration of the juice. The Locher brewery is responsible for production and distribution only. The Appenzeller farmers are compensated for their produce with a substantial price bonus. For Fredi Klee it’s an ideal system: every participant is responsible for those tasks for which he is most suited. And the future of the topfruit trees is assured; even more trees are being planted right now.
For more information:
www.appenzellerobst.ch
