Regenerative Organic Passata from Switzerland

The project “Regenerative Organic Passata from Switzerland” explores how field-grown tomatoes can be cultivated under no-till, mulched, regenerative conditions and processed into premium passata. The aim is to develop sustainable, economically viable production methods and strengthen regional value creation.

Result

Key data

Result

The project led to the following results:

Successful no-till cultivation of organic field tomatoes without irrigation or pesticides
Production of 2.4 tonnes of tomatoes and first processing into passata
Positive feedback from pilot clients in gastronomy and collective catering
Business plan developed including market and risk analysis
Scalable model for regional value creation and educational integration established
Foundation laid for a QuNaV main project

Description

Within this project, six organic tomato varieties were cultivated on one hectare under no-till, mulched, regenerative conditions. Despite challenging weather, 2.4 tonnes of tomatoes were harvested without irrigation or pesticides.

The tomatoes were processed into regenerative organic passata and tested by pilot clients such as Rüsterei and Menu and More. The project pioneers regenerative agriculture in Switzerland, showing that resource-efficient production and economic viability can go hand in hand.

Key data

Projectlead

Patrick Lütolf

Project team

Prof. Dr. Irene Chetschik, David Jacobsen (MULCH 2.0 GmbH), Noémi Uehlinger (SATIVA Rheinau AG), Ralph Killinger (Max Schwarz AG), Christof Schenk (Holderhof Produkte AG)

Project partners

Max Schwarz AG; Kanton Thurgau / Arenenberg – Kompetenzzentrum für Landwirtschaft; MULCH 2.0 GmbH; SATIVA Rheinau AG; Holderhof Produkte AG; Nullkommanull GmbH

Project status

completed, 04/2024 - 05/2025

Institute/Centre

School of Life Sciences and Facility Management; Institute of Food and Beverage Innovation (ILGI)

Funding partner

Federal government; Foundation; Third party; Other

Project budget

40'000 CHF