It’s not all about straw in the Künzis, but very much revolves. Grains decorations and straw-drinking straws now account for around a third of the income. The business is in addition to the dairy industry with the twenty cows for the 18-hectare farm is an important leg to stand on.

Claudia and Ruedi Künzi stand on the edge of your 1000-square-meter grain field just above the village and check the growth and quality. In October, she, as always, in the past few decades, have sown nine different ancient grains.

in the Meantime, the barley and the wheat the farmer to the shoulders. In addition, Russian rye thrives, among other things, – everything is nice and lined up. Fortunately, the seeds of the storm and hail was spared. This promises to be a good year for Cereals.

From now on, a lot of manual work and care are required. At the end of June to mid-July is harvested by Hand with the sickle, or the tying up of this mower, the tall grain. But beware: Bent Straws are only suitable as a bedding for the warehouses of the cows.

A good crop year is in prospect: The sixty-year-old farmer, Ruedi Künzi reaps the tall grain with care. (3. July 2019) photo: Keystone / Alexandra Wey

“The old grain varieties have small Ears and long Stalks,” explains the sixty-year-old farmer. For straw decorations and drinking straws are well suited. Farmers with traditional cereal crops, however, new varieties with big Ears, many grains, and low Growth.

The Künzis take environmental protection very seriously. Their operation is, nevertheless, not an organic farm. Without treatment, against fungal diseases, these spots could not be avoided. Claudia and Ruedi Künzi are also aware that with straw drinking straws plastic consumption is only slightly reduced, and further steps are necessary.

“Three Sunny days it takes for the harvest,” says Claudia Künzi. The freshly cut grain dries first, in the spread-out sheaves in the field, is regularly turned over in the sun and then into the barn introduced.

“cereals must be nice. Who wants to buy straws or straw wreaths with black spots?”, the family Künzi says. (3. July 2019) photo: Keystone / Alexandra Wey

In the straw lädeli vis-à-vis, which is also the workshop equips Claudia Künzi then the Stalks. You cut off the top part with the Ear of corn to straw braids. From the rest of the Halmteilen drinking straws emerge. The growth nodes in the crop, each of which must be cut out, determine the length of the tube.

Each blade is individually inspected and cut. Helpful a self-constructed machine. With a kind of Guillotine, with a Pedal, the straw can be in 13 or 20-centimeter-long tubes cut, without the will it is squeezed. As the tubes are sterilized, the operation of secret of the Künzis.

The ceiling area with a braided straw stars, straw figures, pedestals, Mobiles and grain sheaves to be running quite well. Künzis have delivered, among other things, long-sheaves, Ears of corn, and straw for the movies “Zwingli” and “Schellenursli”. The requests shall normally be made online. They also offer courses in the straw-plat.

concentration and patience at work: Claudia Künzi every single straw in a controlled manner. (3. July 2019) photo: Keystone / Alexandra Wey

fluctuations there are, however, in the case of the drinking straws. “Since 2005, the sale is sunk more or less in the sleeping beauty,” notes Claudia Künzi. It had looked like in the summer of 2003 as well. A hotel Manager of the Maldives ordered in Mach walls of straw-drinking straws for the Bar of the resort. For ecological reasons, the Swiss-born wanted to replace the plastic products.

“We had with the cultivation and harvest of straw experience, but drinking straws in a larger quantity of goods for us at the time, uncharted territory,” says Claudia Künzi. The varieties of choice, the Cutting, Cleaning and packaging required for many Tests.

The correct tube thickness had finally, the Russian rye. 50’000 straw-drinking straws were delivered up to 2005 in the Maldives. When the Tsunami came, were other problems as drinking straws. The contact person was retired, and the job fell away.

A traditional product made of Swiss Hand: The straw-straws are also in demand abroad. (3. July 2019) photo: Keystone / Alexandra Wey

With the discussion on the reduction of plastic has now attracted the sale of the straws again. No obstacle is the considerably higher prices are. Straw drinking straws costs in the Parcel to 20 pieces, depending on the length of the 5 Swiss francs, or 4.80 francs. You are around 16 times more expensive than Chinese plastic straws.

customers use the more expensive straws specifically, the farmer’s wife. “You appreciate that the product was grown and no long transport routes behind,” she says. In the retail trade and in Bars, the straw stalks not yet available. The Expansion of the business would be desirable.

For straw-drinking straws are good reasons for this: alternatively, products such as glass, metal or Kartonröhrli need for the production of raw materials and energy. You need to be transported and are not biodegradable like the straw.

Created: 16.07.2019, 16:36 PM