Switzerland's Bell acquires Kocherhans und Schär

Bell has taken over the Kocherhans und Schär AG meat drying company located in Churwalden, retroactively from January 1, 2011, with all employees.

Kocherhans und Schär has been producing a range of Graubunden specialities since 1964, including Bündnerfleisch and Bündner Rohschinken. The meat drying facility has a capacity of approximately 1,000 tonnes per year and employs 17 people. The parties have agreed to keep the details of the transaction confidential.

Thanks to this acquisition, Bell now has its own meat drying plant for the manufacture of specialities from the Swiss canton Graubunden, and has thus reduced its dependence on third-party meat drying services for domestic as well as export sales. Bündnerfleisch is the most important Swiss meat export product. Bell intends to integrate Kocherhans und Schär into Bell Switzerland Ltd and will carry on its operations under the existing management.

Kocherhans und Schär attaches high priority to the quality of its products. The individual specialities are manufactured using traditional methods and recipes. Air drying is the key to excellent product quality. The process requires extensive experience and specialist know-how, and the natural climate and special drying areas also play an important role. The specially selected meats lose up to 50% of their weight during the drying process.