Events firm opens e-shop for Vaud gourmet produce

Food and wine lovers residing in Switzerland wishing to purchase produce from the wine-growing region between Geneva and Lausanne will be able to do so from the comfort of their own homes as of Wednesday, thanks to a new online shopping service, with home delivery.

The e-shop, in English, French and German, is the brainchild of event firm La Route du Vignoble which will offer the new service on its existing website. The company is based in Gilly and organizes day trips and team-building exercises at wineries and other local producers and artisans such as chocolate producers or glass-blowers.

“We realised that during these events, many people were interested in buying the products but were unable to as they were at a party or with their colleagues," company director Séverine Beetschen told Swisster. “Many said they would we come back to buy, but our site will make it easier for them."

While local supermarkets or the existing online shopping site Leshop.ch might not always supply products that come from small local producers of honey, cheese or jams, the online shop in English, German and French, sells solely food and drink made in the region known as “La Cote”. The zone on the north shore of Lake Geneva in canton Vaud comprises 1,900 hectares of land, including many vineyards.

Shoppers can choose from 485 items that include locally-produced chocolate, dried meats, mustard, wines and many other foods and fruit juices. Prices vary but typically a bottle of wine starts at 10 francs. Once selected, the items are dispatched via a courier service to anywhere in Switzerland within five working days for a flat fee of 17 francs.

“Obviously if customers buy just one bottle of wine, this might seem expensive, but we’ll see how it works," said Beetschen.

The service will allow customers to select items online; those that are perishable are wrapped on the same day as dispatch, packaged in decorative boxes and posted.

Shoppers who can’t decide can opt for a “decouverte” box, which includes a diverse selection of local fares and drinks. Another section of the site also allows users to input their menu if throwing a dinner or apéritif party, after which they will receive a list of compatible wines and accompaniments.

The Route du Vignoble’s core activity is organising group visits to local wineries, producers’ workshops or in-house plants. Outings include team-building exercises where, typically, employees try their hand at making chocolate in a team, glass-blowing or filling wine bottles with Bacchus’s nectar. Meals can also be served in situ.

Firms sending their staff on these excursions include local companies such as Procter and Gamble, Medtronic, PricewaterhouseCoopers, plus many smaller firms from Geneva and Lausanne. Beetschen explained that often local artisans speak English, but if this is not the case, an interpreter is hired.

So far, the credit crunch has not overly dented sales for the Swiss firm. “We were affected a little bit by the crisis this year but this had an impact more on the budget per person rather than demand," said Beetschen.