BEEKEEPING
Since spring 2017, we have kept thousands of bees in double-deep beehives that are protected behind a glass wall. These busy bees have already pollinated countless flowers in Bern and produced lots of delicious honey. Our bee colonies help to maintain biodiversity in the region. They are professionally cared for by beekeeper Stefan Wehrl, who has been working in accordance with the guidelines for organic beekeeping since 2007. We use our organic honey to prepare food for our guests.
A CULINARY RESCUE MISSION / FOOD SAVE
Our guests can enjoy homemade jam. The Schweizer Tafel supplies the fruit for this. We save the fruit that has been over-produced and donate the value of the goods in return. The Schweizer Tafel can use these donations for its projects.
We regularly buy vegetables for our Jus from the "Gmüesgarte". The "Gmüesgarte" sells over-produced and non-standard food from the region that does not reach the market and would otherwise be destroyed.
In total, we have already saved more than 1.5 tonnes of food by February 2023. Whenever possible, we buy and use over-produced food: we have processed tomatoes into preserved sauces, plums and raspberries into jam.
CYCLICAL ECONOMY – BERNER PLATTE
SHIFT Switzerland and the Impact Hub Bern reached out to us with an idea. And our culinary team created an entirely new interpretation of the traditional “Berner Platte”. The result was a dish that – whenever possible – can be changed to use quality ingredients that were overproduced in order to cut down on food waste. A dish that reimagines a local tradition using different methods of preparation and conservation. A dish in which meat is consumed less frequently and more consciously. With these kinds of flexibly designed dishes, we are also able to make banquets and buffets at the Kursaal Bern more local, sustainable and innovative.
SUSTAINABLE GASTRONOMY
We purchase local, seasonal ingredients and products, and focus on gentle – and therefore healthy – preparation and cooking techniques. Our menus and buffets are tailored to our individual customers, and we are happy to make them vegetarian or vegan. We also maintain successful, long-standing partnerships with suppliers from the region. That is important to us.
FOOD WASTE BOXES
We want to work together to stop food waste, and are happy to set out food waste boxes on the banquet tables at our catered buffets. Our customers are then welcome to use these boxes to take any leftover food home with them. We inform our customers of this option during the planning phase of their event. And, at the buffet itself, we make sure that all guests are aware of this convenient, free option.
UNITED AGAINST WASTE
We have analysed our leftovers and are constantly working to reduce food waste. The data from every analysis are used to help plan future events. Our goal is to only prepare as much food as we need to satisfy our guests. This allows us to prevent food waste every step of the way – from purchasing to service.
NO PLASTIC STRAWS
In late 2018, the EU decided to implement a ban on plastic straws in July 2021. Since we want to avoid plastic waste wherever and whenever possible, we stopped using plastic straws some time ago. That’s why we offer paper straws as an attractive and environmentally friendly alternative.