Regional freshness for you

What do spring water from Zurich and Chur’s freshest milk have in common? You will find them in the new avec bearing the label “Von hier. Regional für dich.” Through this initiative, we are supporting small businesses and keeping transport times short.

Regionality is booming. A growing number of people are making a point of selecting products from their area when buying food. By doing so, they not only support smaller, local operations but they also reduce CO2 emissions given the shorter transport routes involved. We would like to present two of our suppliers whose products qualify for our “Von hier. Regional für dich.” (From here. Regional for you.) label.

Customers can also access more hand-made, ultra-fresh and regional products under the motto “Handmade with Love” in the new avec stores launched in summer 2018. Valora uses the label “Von hier. Regional für dich.” to distinguish selected suppliers based in the region. Valora has thus launched Switzerland’s first regionality convenience label. It supports smaller, local entities and reduces the impact on the environment due to short transport routes.


High standards

Only suppliers who meet the requirements of the “Von hier. Regional für dich.” label are allowed to have their products marked with a respective sticker in the avec stores. Requirements include, for example, that composite products contain a minimum of 80% ingredients and 66% of value added from the region. Since the label was launched 237 regional products have been approved in cooperation with 30 regional suppliers. The products include eggs, sausages, drinks and dairy products.


“Echti Churer Milch” –
fresh, tasty and sensible

For example, the avec store in Landquart has “Echti Churer Milch” (genuine Chur milk). Not only is it particularly fresh, it also combines quality with sustainability. The Plankis foundation has supported the project since 2012. The “Plankis” as it is known locally, is located on the edge of Chur and offers accommodation and work to adults with a mental disability. The site has many operations including a bakery, market garden and workshop. It also has a farm estate where “Echti Churer Milch” is made.

The farm has 60 cows and, from 2012, 120 goats and generates over 400,000 litres of milk a year. «We bottle our milk first thing in the morning and deliver it straight to the shops. You won’t get fresher than that», says operations manager Rolf Steiner. While 90% of all milk sold has a standard fat content, “Echti Churer Milch” retains its natural state and has a particularly full taste, which is also evident in the creamy cheese and yoghurt made from “Echti Churer Milch”.

We are proud to offer you “Echti Churer Milch” in our Landquart avec store. The products meet the highest quality standards, are fresh, environmentally friendly and fairly priced.


«Lokales Wasser 37» –
spring water from Zurich

The Zurich Uetliberg has over 100 springs with fresh water, which supply the emergency reservoir for Zurich City and the city’s fountains. One of the many pipes carrying this water leads to an annex: Rennweg 37, where a small team has been filling bottles with “Lokales Wasser 37” (Local Water 37) since 2016.

The non-profit project spends its revenue entirely on development projects related to water and came into being by accident. Urs Grütter, owner of Max Ditting AG, based at Rennweg 35, noticed that he was entitled according to the extract from the land register, to take water from Rennweg 35/37. That’s when he decided to start “Lokales Wasser 37”.

The project started as an insider tip but has since grown to an operation of 5.5 million litres bottled per year. The water is popular among Zurich shops and restaurants. Not least due to its important message: although Switzerland is the reservoir of Europe, over 42 percent of mineral water consumed in Switzerland is actually imported. The ecological footprint of Zurich water is many times better as it is distributed within a 10-kilometre radius.

By selling “Lokales Wasser 37” in its Zurich avec stores, Valora is supporting its brand vision and commitment to climate protection and improved access to drinking water worldwide.

The regional products will be expanded this year so that almost all avec sales outlets will offer regional products bearing the new label by the end of 2019. During this expansion phase, regional products are to account for 1% of fresh product sales.


Photos and video: Alexander Palacios, Churer Milch, Boostr/Markus Mallaun

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