Switzerland at Expo Milano 2015: a pavilion you can eat and drink – 100% Swiss
Bern, 20.02.2015 - The universal exhibition in Milan on the theme of “Feeding the planet, energy for life” is a unique opportunity for Switzerland to showcase its agri-food prowess to an international audience. The restaurant in the Swiss pavilion – managed by Palexpo Geneva in collaboration with Agro Marketing Switzerland – will give visitors the opportunity to discover Swiss food through a range of high-quality, competitively priced gastronomic specialities. The Swiss pavilion will offer an exclusive selection of Swiss wines thanks to a joint initiative by Swiss Wine Promotion, Palexpo Geneva and the Presence Switzerland unit of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The cuisine of the restaurant reflects the culinary heritage of the partner cities and cantons. Swiss agriculture is also well represented in the form of the tower devoted to apples.
The Swiss pavilion is an ideal platform to showcase the outstanding quality of Swiss food and the performance of Swiss agriculture, in particular its multifunctional nature, the positive interactions between agriculture and tourism, and the agri-food system.
“The restaurants of the House of Switzerland and the Swiss pavilion are our main draw”, says Ambassador Nicolas Bideau, head of Presence Switzerland of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for Switzerland's participation in Expo 2015.The Swiss food industry is a key driver of our communication: our cheese, dried meat and chocolate are an important part of our image. As part of Expo Milano 2015, the Swiss pavilion will be a great showcase for Swiss agriculture and cuisine. It will enable us to bring some of our high-quality products that are still relatively unknown – such as Swiss wines – to the general public and the foreign media. This is a unique opportunity for Switzerland.”
Presence Switzerland has entrusted the provision of catering services in the pavilion jointly to Palexpo (Geneva's exhibition and convention centre) and Agro Marketing Switzerland (AMS).
Palexpo is responsible for the commercial management of the restaurant and the official catering services for events organised by the Swiss pavilion's partners. The restaurant also includes a take-away section and some mobile refreshment stands dotted around the Swiss pavilion. AMS – the association responsible for the sale of Swiss products at home and abroad – has been mandated to supply the restaurant with high-quality products at competitive prices and to raise awareness of the sheer variety of Swiss agricultural products through the information stand located at the entrance to the restaurant.
The specialities of the restaurant were selected in consultation with the Gotthard partner cantons – Graubünden, Ticino, Uri and Valais – and the partner cities of Basel, Geneva and Zurich. During their special weeks, the partner cantons and cities will enhance the regular fare on the menu with two of their own culinary specialities (see attached menu).
Swiss agriculture plays a major role in one of the four towers of the pavilion. Apple rings, provided by small producers in eastern Switzerland, represent the quality, biodiversity and capacity for diversification of the agricultural sector in Switzerland. The Swiss agricultural sector has invested approximately CHF 2 million in Expo 2015. The budget for the restaurant and the information stand account for CHF 1.7 million, while the remaining CHF 300,000 has gone into the tower of apples.
Selection of wines
The choice of wines in the restaurant of the Swiss pavilion was based on different criteria set by Swiss Wine Promotion in collaboration with Palexpo and Presence Switzerland. The wine list reflects first and foremost the representativeness and quality of wines produced in the partner cantons and cities. Among the selection criteria were competitive prices and the ability to supply the quantities required for all six months of Expo 2015.
The cantonal wine promotion associations issued the call for tender to the winemakers of the partner cantons and cities. The selection was made by a jury composed of one representative each from Palexpo, Swiss Wine Promotion and Presence Switzerland, and one professional oenologist (see wine list attached).
For further information
Nicolas Bideau, Ambassador, Head of Presence Switzerland, FDFA
nicolas.bideau@eda.admin.ch
tel. +41 58 463 45 91, mobile: +41 79 667 69 15
Andrea Arcidiacono, Head of Communication, Swiss Pavilion, Presence Switzerland, FDFA
andrea.arcidiacono@eda.admin.ch
tel. +41 58 462 32 97, mobile: +41 79 291 13 47, Italian mobile: + 39 366 118 3793
Hashtag: #Expo2015ch
Address for enquiries
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
Publisher
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
