South Tyrolean organic bread: Taste the difference in the Ultental valley

Fewer ingredients, better taste

Hannes Schwienbacher bakes his organic bread with love. His bakery features a large stone mill and his company motto is “Full grain ahead."

When Hannes Schwienbacher flies his paraglider over the Ultental valley early in the morning, he relishes the peace, freedom and unique views of the mountains, forests and people who are starting their day down below. Sometimes new ideas come to him while flying. For him, it is often the time to make a plan or a decision. “Goal-oriented” is how the family man would characterises himself.

Stone-ground flour

But first, let's look go back in time some five decades. His father Richard was the third generation to run the family bakery in St. Walburg/S.Valburga when his mother Gerti (Hannes’ grandmother) persuaded him to buy a grain mill to bake whole-grain bread. Hannes was still just a little boy at the time. "She simply said that she no longer wanted to eat his conventionally produced bread anymore," he recalls from stories.

In 1982, the large stone mill was installed in the bakery, and Richard Schwienbacher slidhis first organic bread doughs into the oven. While some people disparagingly call him a weirdo, many embraced him. Best of all, they willingly shelled out a few extra liras for the better taste of quality bread.

IDM SÃ¼dtirol-Alto Adige/Armin Huber

Simply delicious

Today, the stone mill still stands in the bakery, which has grown to become the largest employer in the valley, and Hannes Schwienbacher is the boss. Around 70 types of fresh bread and a further 70 varieties of long-life baked goods such as Grissini breadsticks and Schüttelbrot (crispy bread) are part of the “Ulten Bread" range. And what does the “organic” designation mean? All ingredients for the baked goods are sourced from controlled organic cultivation. "But there aren't that many of them anyway," says the baker in reference to the short ingredient list. Flour, water, salt, possibly herbs and spices or seeds, as well as yeast or some sour dough. That’s all. He strictly rejects the use of enzymes, emulsifiers and other additives. "If we don't leave out certain things, we don't have to add anything either," his father once taught him.

IDM Südtirol-Alto Adige/Armin Huber

No compromises

Hannes Schwienbacher refuses to compromise on the quality of the raw ingredients. Producing and buying organic, but also preferring local and regional ingredients, is not only a question of well-being, but above all a contribution to sustainability. That's why Hannes Schwienbacher has supported the Regiokorn initiative from the very beginning. This is aimed at promoting the cultivation of cereal grains in South Tyrol and thus the regionality and diversity of agriculture.

During his tenure, Hannes Schwienbacher has changed a lot in the traditional bakery. These days, he only works in the bakery once a week, and he has made working nights as family-friendly as possible for his employees. He embraces digitalisation wherever possible, spends a lot of time on innovation, and tinkers with new ideas while paragliding.