Farmers

“Ricola shares my values and mindset. Pursuing a policy of natural cultivation suits me perfectly.”

Eliane and Christian Schütz supply Ricola with over 2,000 kilograms of peppermint and 700 kilograms of lemon balm each year. Natural cultivation goes hand in hand with natural labor. To that end, Eliane and Christian spend three to four hours a day weeding their fields. Sometimes the whole family – and even the neighboring family – lends a helping hand. “We have a great time working together,” says eldest daughter Anina.

“Mountain people have always used herbs. These habits were passed down to me from my parents.”

Frédéric Morard, who took over the farm from his father Armand, helped out in the fields as a young boy. Before entering into a partnership with Ricola, the Morard family – like many other farmers in Valais – mainly cultivated potatoes and strawberries. Despite using machines, up to 70% of the herbs are still cultivated by hand today. The Morard family routinely invests around 1,500 hours into each hectare of land per year. Ricola’s homegrown “glacier mint” starts its life in the Valais Alps before being made into drops and sent out around the world.