Far-sightedness and prudence.
Two people embark on a joint venture.
Hans Brasser, a farmer from Churwalden, was a master at making Grisons dried meat specialities. He had learned the trade from his father based on recipes which had been handed down from generation to generation since time immemorial. Until the 1950s, Brasser only produced small quantities of his delicacies, but then he decided to make more in future. He found a business partner and in 1958, the two of them laid the foundation for the construction of a meat-drying facility. In 1962, Fleischtrocknerei Churwalden AG was founded by them and the Grischuna brand was born. In 1966, they sold the company to a Zurich family of butchers. In 1995, the current owner acquired their shares. The company is now a family business again, managed by owners who have been active in the butcher’s trade for decades and whose ancestors had already brought meat up the River Rhine to dry over a hundred years ago. Back then, it was a journey by horse and carriage, which to and fro took almost a week each time.
The history of the company at a glance
| 1962 | Foundation of Fleischtrocknerei Churwalden AG and introduction of the Grischuna brand |
| 1963 | The first gold medal was won in the quality competition of the Fachmesse für Fleischwirtschaft (Trade Fair for the Meat Industry, MEFA). Many others were to follow in the years to come |
| 1965 | First exports of Bündnerfleisch to France and Germany |
| 1972 | Introduction of the minipic brand |
| 1977 | Company expansion |
| 1996 | Restructuring and various environmental measures are implemented |
| 2000 | Gold medal for Bündnerfleisch, first award from the German Agricultural Society (DLG). Many awards were to follow in the years to come |
| 2002 | The Grischuna premises in Churwalden is awarded the label ‘Naturpark der Schweizer Wirtschaft’ thanks to the ecological landscape design |
| 2007 | Gold medal for minipic, first award from the Deutscher Fleischfachverband (German Association of Meat Producers, DLV) |
| 2009 | Gold medal for various dried meat specialities and winner in the categories of dry-cured sausages and dry-cured products at the MEFA; with these awards, Grischuna will be the best meat drying factory in Switzerland for the next 3 years! |
| 2010 | New building complies with the Minergie standard – the first Minergie building in the meat industry! - for butchery, packaging plant and administration department in Landquart; merger with Surselva Fleischwaren AG, Landquart |
