Suntan
| Suntan
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | May 30, 1891 |
| Seat | Rebstein |
| management |
Eduard Graf (founder) Arnold Graf (founder of the AG) |
| Number of employees | 50 |
| Branch | Brewery , distillery , beverage trade |
| Website | https://www.sonnenbraeu.ch/ |
Sonnenäu is a regional brewery and distillery in Rebstein in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley in eastern Switzerland . It produces a good 3 million liters of beer a year.
Company strategy
Of originally more than 30 small breweries between Lake Constance and Sarganserland , only the Sun brewery survived. It has deliberately remained a medium-sized family business and has retained its independence from large breweries. Their advertising slogan is: Beer needs a home . In 2013, beer production in Switzerland fell by 4.1 percent to 3.37 million hectoliters, but the sun brew was able to increase its production this year. Sonnäu pursues the strategy of opening up new sales markets with unique and contemporary specialty beers.
Arnold Graf has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2002, Claudia Graf has been the Managing Director since 2012.
history
In 1890, Eduard Graf (1845–1918) acquired the «zur Sonne» inn on the Alte Landstrasse in Rebstein. Using the entire old inventory of a friend from Buchs, he set up his own brewery in 1891 in the inn he had acquired the previous year. On May 30, 1891, he laid the foundation stone for the Sun brew. The equipment included a brewing pan, a mash tun, a cooling ship, a cooling apparatus and the bare minimum of the many small devices. The ice was obtained from the surrounding ponds. In the ice-poor winters, the ice was delivered by train from the Klöntal in Glarus or from Davos in Graubünden . Eduard Graf was municipal secretary and mayor of Rebstein.
After the death of Eduard Graf (1918), his widow Annette Graf-Friedauer and their sons Walter and Arnold took over the business. They converted it into a public company . In addition to his commitment as commercial director of the brewery, Arnold Graf was also the mayor of Rebstein. Walter Graf (1885–1946), a trained master brewer , took care of the brewing issues of the company.
Then Eduard Graf (1918–1991), a grandson of the founder, shaped the image of the company as a member of the board of directors (1942–1991) and president (1970–1991). He also worked part-time as the mayor of Rebstein (1956–1983). Walter Graf (1935–2001) took over the duties of technical director, from 1964 to 2001 he was a member of the board of directors. After the death of his brother in 1991, he took over the position of President of the company. He fulfilled this task until 2002.
Arnold Graf (* 1947) has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1978 and its Chairman since 2002. The company management is in the hands of Claudia Graf, his daughter, the great-great-granddaughter of the founder. She completed an apprenticeship as a banker , master brewer and business economist .
In December 2012, the sonnenäu invested around CHF 2 million in a new bottle washing machine, a new filler, new conveyor belts and renovations to the building. It therefore owns the most modern beer filler in Switzerland. Production had to be shut down for 4 weeks. For the renovation, it was necessary to produce and fill over 250,000 liters of beer in advance.
Milestones
- In 1968, beer was first bottled in 6-packs.
- In 1978 the first light beer in Switzerland and in 1981 the Pilsner beer “Rheinperle” came onto the market.
- In 1991, to mark the company's 100th anniversary, the “Rheintaler Maisbier ” was introduced. It is the first beer in Switzerland to bear the Culinarium label. The decisive factor was and is the use of AOC-tested Rheintaler maize , the so-called Ribel .
- In 1999 Arnold Graf began to experiment with whiskey after the distilling of schnapps with raw materials other than pome and stone fruit was permitted in Switzerland.
- The Ribelwhiskey appeared in 2003 . It is made from Rheintaler Ribelmais and Rheintaler brewing barley , fermented, distilled and stored in wooden barrels for 3 years.
- In 2005, on the occasion of the Igeho in Basel, and in 2006, on the occasion of the company's 115th anniversary, the Rheintaler Whiskey was launched. These two whiskeys are stored in wooden casks for 5 years.
- In 2008, in mid-March, the brewery launched a special beer called Herzblut with a view to the upcoming European Football Championship .
- In 2010 the Swisslander whiskey came on the market, originally as Rheintaler Ribel-Swisslander whiskey . It is stored in oak barrels for 8 years.
- In 2011, the company started to distill liqueur from beer. The beer brandy mentioned in 1891 is made from malt extract and 1891 dark beer .
Manufacturing
The water in the Suntan comes from a spring in Rebstein and from the Rhine foothills . It is specially prepared in the brewery for food production .
range
Today's range includes around 20 types of beer. In addition to the basic range (lager beers), the sun brew mainly focuses on the special range. The Bock beer is the hallmark of the Sonnäu: the sun with the Urbock (the Urbock is the banner image of the former Alt-Rheintal). Bock beer, a festival beer, is brewed for Christmas and Easter .
Other beers are the “Ice-Bier” (since 1995), the “Zwickelgold” (since 1998) and the 3.3 dl “Spezli”.
In January 2005, the light beer was rated as the second best full beer with a low alcohol content in Switzerland within the framework of the new alcohol limit. Another special beer from sonnenäu is the “First Swiss Ale”. It is the first ale in Switzerland that is officially on sale.
In June 2013, the Sonnäu introduced a special beer called “Crafts1”. It was brewed from the 600% more expensive Simcoe hops from the USA. Only 35 kilograms of Simcoe hops were available, so the brewing volume had to be limited to 55,000 30cl bottles.
The "Swisslander Rheintaler Bierbrandy", a spirit made from beer, has been on sale as a novelty since September 2013.
Awards
- In January 2011 the “Rheintaler Weizengold” and the “Suntan Special” were each awarded a gold medal by the German Agricultural Society (DLG) .
- The Rheintaler Wirtschaft has awarded the Sonnenäu the prize for innovation.
- The cooperative society of private breweries from Germany has given the beer from the Bräu a seal of approval for “excellent quality”.
Social
- In 2007, a handful of beer lovers founded the Sonnäu fan club , the aim of which is to promote beer culture in the Rhine Valley. The fan club currently has a good 4800 members.
Web links
Remarks
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f History of Suntan. Sonnenäu AG, accessed on November 12, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d e The light blonde. Sonnenäu AG, accessed on November 18, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Suntan - Beer needs a home. Sonnenäu AG, accessed on November 12, 2019 .
- Jump up ↑ sonnenäu - history - 1891.Sunäu AG, accessed on November 12, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d e About Suntan. Sunnäu Fan Club, accessed November 12, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Swisslander Rheintaler Bierbrandy. (No longer available online.) Sonnenschäu AG, archived from the original on December 4, 2013 ; Retrieved November 29, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Swisslander story. Suntan. Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
- ↑ Rhostoffe. Sonnenäu AG, accessed on November 13, 2019 .
- ↑ Suntan products awarded a gold medal ( Memento of the original from January 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Der Rheintaler , article from January 25, 2011
- Jump up ↑ sonnenäu - brewery - fan club. Sunburn, accessed November 11, 2019 .
Coordinates: 47 ° 23 '58.6 " N , 9 ° 35' 6.8" E ; CH1903: 762 028 / 252 081