To this day, Werner Schenk sets great store by what he describes as his simple yet efficient business philosophy. “My cows are out grazing on the meadows 20 hours a day. And you can tell. They are satisfied and relaxed – which means that I am too”, he explains while lovingly stroking the head of his Lavertezzo. As you would expect, he knows all his cows by name. As a businessman, he keeps his costs low – thanks to his animals, the cycle works brilliantly. They graze on the meadows, meaning he neither needs to mow nor to preserve any feed. And he doesn’t own any expensive automated machinery. How has he managed to stay competitive despite these simple methods? “After I completed my training, I thought I knew it all. But looking back, I can safely say that I didn’t know a thing”, he laughs. “You have to try out different things and make the occasional mistake – that’s all part of it. Just don’t get anxious about it.”

However, this calm approach certainly doesn’t mean that he’s easily satisfied. Just the opposite, in fact. He is constantly tinkering away to achieve optimizations, and swaps ideas with his fellow farmers both nationally and internationally. His ultimate goal? To produce fresh milk sustainably. This is then processed into top-quality powdered milk before being combined with other first-class raw materials at our chocolate factory and transformed into creamy couvertures.

The farm and its animals are Werner Schenk’s passion. Nevertheless, he looks towards the future and hopes for a little more rest. In a year or so, one of his sons will take over the business. “I would never have forced the farm onto any of my children. As I said, you can only be successful if you enjoy your work.” The fact that the farm will stay in the family makes him very happy, of course, and fills him with great pride.