Fine Food and intellectual maturity

"Our fine food line has three categories," explain Daniel Nick and Samuel Gantner with the enthisiasm of experts. "We divide them into ‘sweet’, ‘spicy’ and ‘vinegar and oil’. '" The two high school students cheerfully present a few of their attractively packaged products: orange and dark red apricot and plum jams in rustic glasses, a delicate bottle of cherry-red Chriesi vinegar. The handmade cookies, the "Fiigesenf," the Bergbouillon (mountain bouillon powder) and the Bündnerfleisch (air-dried beef) pesto also arouse curiosity.
 
Those who like things sweet would certainly be interested in the elderflower marshmallows, known as "Sporzer Schümli". The name relates to the hamlet of Sporz above Lenzerheide: this is the idyllic setting for eleven cottages and barns that are more than 300 years old, and are grouped together in the Maiensässhotel Guarda Val. The hotel has belonged to the parents of Samuel Gantner for the last eight years – they bought it, carried out renovations, and converted it to the Maiensäss style, which means it was rebuilt with several other buildings in the style of an Alp. Within the Karl-Wild ratings, the hotel’s chef, Thomas Walz, was named Hotel Chef of the Year in 2014, and this encouraged Samuel's father to plan new market strategies. A product line for Fine Food was envisaged. And this is where Nick Daniel and Samuel Gantner came into play: they have known each other since their time at the Cantonal School, and have long planned a joint thesis in economics and law.
 
This is actually where their interests and talents lay, while the gourmet area was new territory for both of them. Even in elementary school, Samuel eagerly read the business section of the newspaper, while Daniel organised a children's club, including statutes, when he was only eight years old. They therefore approached the start-up without any fears, but certainly with respect, and, of course, with great personal dedication.
 
The first meeting with the management of the Guarda Val in Graubünden took place in April 2014, and the first products of the proposed fine food line, to be called Guarda Vita, were already discussed with chef Thomas Walz in June. The high school students gathered their first trade fair experience in October at the gastronomic Fair "Gourmesse" in the Zurich Kongresshaus.  They operated their own stand, sold their goods and advised customers. Do they consume their goods themselves?  Daniel Nick laughs: "If you work on something for so long, you sure to find it good." And Samuel adds: " We often use the Bündnerfleisch pesto and the Bergbouillon at home." But it’s not only the Gantners who like the Fine Food  - the students launched an online sales site after the trade fair. While the hotel's guests have been able to buy the Fine Food on-site for some time, the two young men want to "bring a bit of spring pasture to the lowlands» via online trading. They recently presented their thesis, and thereby their start-up. Their conclusion: "The great responsibility and seriousness of this project were very rewarding," says Daniel Nick. And Samuel Gantner aded: "It was exciting to write a business plan and to then put the theory into practice."
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For more information: www.guardavita.ch