“You have beautiful eggs, you know?” A portrait of Laure Stettler

Hello Laure, Producer of love for our cherished eggs, during a visit to Oeufs Stettler SA, we wanted to ask you a few questions! Our #petitsbiscuitssuisseslovers would love to know where our legendary "You have beautiful eggs, you know?" comes from! We can say that eggs and you are a true love story – or should we say an omelette story! Your grandfather founded the company, didn't he? Laure: Absolutely, my grandfather was a cheesemaker by trade, but he unfortunately lost a hand in an accident. At the time, being a cheesemaker with only one hand was not technically possible, so he had to "retrain." He always loved small animals, so it was natural for him to start raising chickens and also pigs. At the time, he lived in Versoix and would cycle with his cart to deliver his eggs to the outskirts of Geneva. That's where it all began. Was it always certain for you to join the family business? Laure: No, not at all. As a teenager, I always said I would never work in the company. After my apprenticeship, I had other plans, but my dad needed a secretary for 4 months to cover a maternity leave, and I agreed to come. That was 18 years ago... My dad quickly passed on his passion for the fascinating life within the company, and I never left. Later, my brother joined us. It's really precious for me to have him by my side. I'm not sure I would have had the courage to take on the challenge of taking over the company without him. The eggs you deliver to us – just a few minutes' flight away – all come from free-range hens in the canton of Vaud, in French-speaking Switzerland. Is local production important to you? Laure: In Vucherens, we have free-range hens (code 1 on the egg), not to be confused with barn-laid hens (code 2). Free-range hens have direct access to an open field. Right now, due to the cold temperatures, our hens prefer to stay warm, but when the temperatures become milder, they greatly enjoy running around in the open air and scratching the ground. It's true that we are very proud to be able to deliver our produce directly to the customer; it's one of our great strengths: controlling the entire chain. It's truly amazing to think that in the same building, we take our customers' orders, the eggs are laid, sorted, packaged, and delivered directly by our vehicles. All of this within a very short timeframe. Generally, eggs collected on Monday morning are delivered the next day. And what's it like to grow up surrounded by chicks? Laure: Despite the years, every time we receive one-day-old chicks, we're amazed, and now I can share these moments with my 2-year-old daughter, "my little chick," so it's even more joy. Now, we have a question of utmost importance for you. As an undeniable expert in the poultry world... which came first, the chicken or the egg? Laure: The rooster, of course!!! And if you could only choose one of our small Swiss biscuits to take everywhere with you, which one would you choose? Laure: Impossible to choose... they are all equally delicious. Thank you very much for your time, dear Laure, it's a real pleasure to work with you and your hens. We only have one wish for our collaboration: that it continues so we can keep creating great biscuits with your delicious eggs! Long live your hens! Laure: Thank you for your trust, it's a real pleasure that our eggs are so well valued in your excellent products.