Our region has talent: Choucas Coffee

Did you grow up here or did you choose to live here later on?

Although I grew up in Biel, my mother and my grandparents are from here, and I spent many holidays here when I was very young. In 1938, my grandparents built the Hôtel du Lac, I’ve been running the hotel for 21 years now, and I’ve been here for 25 years.

What are your interests? Are they closely or distantly related to your various jobs?

I’m a trained hotelier, and it’s a profession that I really enjoy. I also like the mountains a lot, I climb and enjoy ski touring and running too. But I also have other small businesses that were born out of my need to create and bring life to ideas I have in my head, such as the coffee and beer businesses.

You work for Choucas Coffee and La Marmotte Brewery as well as the Hôtel du Lac. What led you to start roasting coffee in Crans-Montana?

I’ve always been interested in products with a long history, which is the case with coffee. It’s a very individual product, there are many different kinds and you have to find the right blend for each one. The impulse to try it in Crans-Montana came from a visit to my brother in South Africa, where there are lots of small roasting companies.

What is special about your businesses, and what do you think sets them apart from others?

Freedom is very important to me. I’m looking to partner with people who love to discover new things, and who want to share this adventure with me. After all, the products I make are more enjoyable if you enjoy them with others! Thanks to the family hotel, I’ve been able to reinvest in coffee and beer. It was important to me to bring something to the resort, and to create new jobs: our team has expanded from 7 to 21 people!

What are you trying to bring to your customers through your products?

I make artisanal products that represent the region, and I sell them as locally as possible. I try to offer different kinds of coffee or beer so that my customers can try something new and have a unique experience.

How has this very peculiar Covid period been for you? How have you had to adapt?

All the sectors which I’m involved in have been affected, but I’m trying to take the positive from the situation to continually reinvent myself and work on new products. At the beginning of the crisis, we made disinfectant with our malt stock, which enabled me to pay salaries for a period. Now we’re planning to establish ourselves in Murten as well, and diversify our product range with cider and gin as well as coffee, beer and distillate.

What motivates you to work in Crans-Montana and what are its strengths?

We’re in a beautiful place here! I love the mountains, the nature, the lake (coming from Biel, I’ve always liked being near a lake!). I’m from elsewhere, but I’m well-integrated here. Life in Crans-Montana has enabled me to connect with lots of interesting people and to get involved in a number of projects.

What’s your favourite place in Crans-Montana, your secret spot?

If you walk along the Bisse Neuf and climb up to the cliffs, you reach a magical place that exudes tranquillity. There are ibex wandering around, the views are incredible, and there’s noone around.

What’s your best memory in Crans-Montana, an anecdote, something that has marked your relationship with this region?

There are so many! I’ve met so many people and discovered so many things here. It makes me happy to be able to continually create new memories through my dreams and projects here, thanks to the support and trust of the people and the authorities here in the Crans-Montana region. It’s heartwarming!

What would you like to see develop in Crans-Montana?

Crans-Montana is a resort where, in my grandparents’ time, everyone was involved in creating something. The next generation benefitted from this, but today we have to make more of an effort. We have to stop thinking about things for too long and act to make projects happen and believe in them. The watchword is: be bold!

For more information about Choucas Coffee, and to organise a tasting and to discover the unique flavour of Choucas coffees, go to the website www.cafe-choucas.ch