You’ve probably already noticed that we also offer products in our range that do not originate from Switzerland or even Europe. In this article, we’d like to explain to you in more detail why this is the case. And tell you about the many advantages that you and the environment benefit from when you choose Farmy as the place to buy these products.
Producers in Europe
Most of our products – especially fresh ones, such as vegetables and cheese – originate in Switzerland. There are others, however, that we source from Europe. Among these are:
- wines from Spain, Italy and France
- fruits and vegetables from Italy and Greece
- fish from Germany and the UK
- specialty cheese from Italy, such as ricotta
Especially when it comes to vegan staples, you will find many products from nearby Germany. This is mainly because they offer a wider range of these products. The same applies to certain cosmetics.
It is a different matter when it comes to fruit that can be produced in Switzerland, however: we only sell it during its season – as is the case for strawberries, for instance. This has a number of reasons, one of which is that it is more ecological. Moreover, Swiss strawberries taste much sweeter than those from abroad since they can develop more flavours. You can read about the reason behind these two points (and more!) here.
Products that cannot (yet) be produced in Europe
We want to offer you, our customer, as big a range of possible products to choose from. This is why we try to find a balance between such products that are available here and nearby as well as sustainably sourced products from further away.
There are thus products that we must source from outside of Europe since they cannot be produced in the climate we live in here. These are, among others:
- chocolate (cocoa)
- coffee
- certain fruit
- certain fish
For instance, it is simply not possible to grow such fruit as coconuts, passionfruit or physalis in Europe. The same applies to fish that can only be found in certain oceans. (Find an interesting article about the cultivation of exotic foods in Europe here (German source).)
If there are possibilities to grow these kinds of products in Europe, we take them whenever possible! This is the case, for example, with avocado. In summer, we offer avocado from Sicily, for instance.
How we choose producers from abroad at Farmy
Precisely because we rely on products that do not originate from Switzerland in order to provide you with a great range of products, we have strict standards on how we select these. This covers products that are:
- fairtrade
- eco-friendly / sustainable
- organic
It further means that we choose products with labels such as Max Havelaar, Demeter and EU Bio.
For instance, the products from our producer Pakka are certified Fairtrade and EU Bio. The former label not only ensures that the small farmers growing Pakka’s cashews are paid fair wages. It also enforce strict requirements regarding working conditions, including the prohibition of child labour as well as the benefit of health protection and rights, for example. You can learn more about the Fairtrade standards here (German source). Similarly, the EU Bio label enforces strict standards for the products’ making, processing, transport and storage.
Buying such products from Farmy thus means choosing responsible, more sustainable sources. Because it’s better.
What do you think?