A new symbol of Swiss food production is going abroad. After Toblerone, now made in Slovakia, or Sugus, designed in China, Hero jam will now be produced in a factory in Spain.
Hero jam will no longer be offered in Switzerland. After letting go of a large number of its employees last fall, the company will close its factory in Lenzburg (AG) at the end of the year. Production will be relocated to Spain. Only the head office will remain in Switzerland.
“When it comes to supplying hotels, restaurants or hospitals, the price is the most important factor. In addition, about half of the volume of what we produce in Switzerland is destined for European markets, such as Spain or Italy With the increasingly strong Swiss franc, products, which are already very price sensitive, are becoming even more expensive,” explained Frederic Haas, director of Hero Switzerland, on Tuesday.
After Toblerone chocolate, in the year 2023, which is now made in Slovakia, or even Lindt, it is the turn of the Hero. Can the Swiss food industry compete abroad? For Karolla Krell Zbinden, a representative of the Confederation of the Swiss Food Industry, who was interviewed at 7:30 pm, our culinary heritage still has a bright future ahead of us.
Strong Swiss brands
The same story with Dominique Turpin, professor emeritus at IMD, specialist in brands, who was interviewed in the Forum. “Swiss brands still have a very strong reputation around the world. “This is not a new phenomenon. Apple has always designed in California and manufactured in China. That hasn’t stopped it from selling a lot of iPhones,” he puts things into perspective.
If the brand is strong enough, it can maintain its image of quality. The fact that it is produced in a country other than its country of origin is not necessarily a problem, explains the specialist.
But it is true that it is “a more sensitive matter for the Swiss than for the Chinese or Argentina. If Hero could put a small Swiss flag behind the brand, that could reassure some consumers.”
Should we fear another event? “The decisions to leave Switzerland are based on economic circumstances, the cost of labor in Switzerland is higher than in Spain or Slovakia. We must continue to innovate and make sure that the consumer is reassured about the quality of the product where the product is manufactured then becomes secondary to the consumer”, concludes Dominique Turpin.
>> The full interview in the Forum with Dominique Turpin:
Do multiple relocations indicate a decline in Swiss food production? Interview with Dominique Turpin / Forum / 6 min. / today at 6:00 p.m.
Reporting TV: Feriel Mesiri
Comments collected by Coralie Claude and Thibault Schaller
Web adaptation: France-Anne Landry