New LGK: Sign for mountain and alpine products

The official mark is not intended to compete with existing brands and marks, but to guarantee the origin of the products from the mountain area or from the summering area. Until now, there was no such uniform official mark. The aim of the two official signs is to make the choice easier for potential buyers of high-quality mountain or alpine products and to protect them from misuse. In addition, producers want a common identity and clear labeling of their products.

Many consumers are willing to pay a higher price for cheese or meat from the summering or mountain areas than for comparable products from the lowlands. This is because products from mountain and alpine regions are made with special ingredients and in limited quantities and stand for natural, authentic enjoyment. The requirements for the development of the official label for Swiss mountain and alpine products included: Comprehensibility for consumers as well as recognizability in the context of all signs. In addition, the name should function in all national languages and be easily pronounceable. The Neue LGK agency was involved in finding an appropriate sign.

The solution for the official "mountain sign" is a double contoured abstract representation of a mountain peak. The thickly drawn lower lying line, the blue coloring as well as the placement of the Swiss cross on the base line emphasize the lower lying production areas within the mountain area.

The official "Alp sign" is based on the same basic representation as the "Mountain sign". Since the summering area is usually located at a higher altitude than the mountain area, the official sign for alpine products is colored green, the higher line is drawn thickly and the Swiss cross is placed further up.

The two official guarantee marks can be used from this summer on products from the mountain and alpine areas, provided that the products marked or advertised with them meet the requirements of the Mountain and Alpine Ordinance.

Responsible at the Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG: Patrik Aebi, Head of Quality and Sales Promotion; Claudia Holenstein, Research Associate; Pamela Crespo, Research Associate. Responsible at Neue LGK: Hans Tanner, creative direction; Stephan Wittwer, art direction; Nadia Jost and Nina Geissbühler, graphics; Claudia Shatri, consulting.