Coop secures the future of mountain cheese dairies with record donation campaign
With its most successful August 1 campaign since 2001, Coop, together with the Coop Mountain Region Sponsorship Program, is supporting two cheese-making projects in the Swiss mountains. The total amount of 675,000 francs will fund the construction of a new alpine cheese dairy on the Rigi and the modernization of the Nufenen organic alpine dairy.
Coop's traditional August 1st campaign reaches new heights in 2025: The sale of 1 August Weggli, Weggen and Cervelats brought in record proceeds of CHF 173,000 - the highest sum since the campaign was launched in 2001. Coop doubled the amount to CHF 345,000, while the Coop Patenschaft für Berggebiete contributed a further CHF 325,000. Donations in the form of Superpoints from Coop customers were also added.
The total amount of CHF 675,000 will support two pioneering projects in Swiss mountain agriculture: the Rigi First Alpine cheese dairy and the Nufenen organic dairy cooperative. Thanks to the support, a new cheese dairy has been built on the Rigi, which enables alpine milk to be processed directly on site into cheese and other high-quality dairy products. This saves the costly transportation of milk to the valley and secures the livelihood of ten farming families.
In Graubünden, the Nufenen organic dairy cooperative is benefiting from the funds. Here, the cheese cellar was renovated and an innovative system for extracting water from the bulkhead was installed. This modernization not only increases added value, but also reduces transport routes and the associated emissions. These investments benefit 22 mountain farming families and their employees.
The August 1st campaign is part of Coop's long-standing commitment to mountain regions. For over 80 years, the Coop Sponsorship for Mountain Regions has been committed to improving the living and working conditions of the mountain population. Last year, a total of CHF 10.3 million was used to realize 238 projects and support over 1,600 people. It is worth noting that every franc donated goes in full to the projects, as Coop covers all administrative costs.
