The Swiss retailer Coop has been working together with 'Hochstamm Suisse' since 2008, it is an organisation involved in the preservation of top fruit trees. This cooperation is now bearing fruit. Recently the Coop have only offered 'Qualité & Prix' apple juices in high-trunk tree quality. With this Coop is the only retailer, which in the juice sector consequently choose for high-trunk tree cultivation.
"When adjusting our own varieties the Coop clearly chose for the continuation of this traditional manner of cultivation, but also for the Swiss fruit cultivation," as per Philipp Schenker, representative of primary foodstuff and beverages at the Coop. "Therefore we are willing to pay a higher price to our fruit producers." Products are not more expensive because of the adjustment. The high-trunk cultivation is sustainable cultivation. The big trees support the characteristic image of the environment of many Swiss regions and create an important living area for animal and plant species.
The Coop also chooses other products - whenever possible - for high-trunk
fruit. For a year Swiss high-trunk cherries for various products have been used. This autumn the Coop also introduced a yoghurt from the Swiss high-trunk cultivation.