Six years ago, Blick readers Christoph (56) and Clara Schär-Cardinal (53) left their home in Stäfa ZH and found a new home 11,000 kilometers away in Argentina.
They used to spend their holidays there. With good reason: Clara Schär was born in Argentina. But the two met in New York, where they studied and later worked in the financial industry.
The two were married in Argentina more than two decades ago, then lived in Brazil for several years until they settled in Stäfa ZH with their three children.
“We had the perfect life in Switzerland, but sometimes I felt like I was in a golden cage,” says Schär, who hails from Langenthal and still uses the Bernese dialect. He wanted to build something of his own with his wife.
Also, her two children should not only know about her second home, her vacation life in Argentina. “We are aware that we are privileged. However, we want to pass on the values to our children, and we wish them to treat people of all cultures and walks of life with respect, as we do,” says the father of the family.
From bankers to sheep farmers
His good relations with Argentina resulted in the purchase of a sheep farm in Patagonia’s Chubut province. “A purchase only pays for 2,000 or more sheep,” the two bankers said. “Maintaining infrastructure, employee wages and everything else is not unimportant,” explains Schär, a freelance financial advisor for 8 years.
In 2013, the couple bought a Baselland-sized farm with their savings. From then on they spent all school holidays on the estate and set up the business and sheep farming.
Warm people and difficult living conditions
In the absence of “boss” and “boss,” as Schärs employees call it, five permanent employees, including a farm manager, and a few daily workers, if necessary, look after the animals and the farm.
“We can absolutely trust our employees because we treat them equally. We pay appropriate wages and insurance, and we also take care of them and their families in case of illness or accident,” says Christoph Schär.
Life is not easy for ordinary people, especially in Argentina, with extremely high inflation and little government support. “I can’t change everything, but I can make the living conditions of my employees a little easier in our micro-universe.”
The father of the family continues to talk about the warmth of the people in Argentina, which was one reason the family moved to Argentina in October 2016.
“Our biggest concern was whether our teens could get along and get a good education,” says Dad.
family life
In San Isidro, a suburb of Buenos Aires, the family found a ten-room rental house with a garden and a pool. The house on Lake Zurich is currently for rent. This covers the children’s housing and school fees. «The residential area here is not much different than in Stäfa. The German Goethe School is within walking distance for children,” says Schär.
Joséphine (20), Pauline (18) and Jacques (16) settled well in their new place of residence and are doing well in school. They stay in close contact with their cousins as well as friends.
Clara Schär is the partner of an American bounty hunter. Her husband Christoph works from home and takes care of his daughter Pauline, who has a time-consuming hobby with polo, and Jacques, who plays football for a youth team. The whole family often attends the matches. Except for Joséphine, who has been studying hotel management in Lausanne since 2021.
Sustainable work with free-range animals
Once a month, Christoph Schär spends a few days on the estate 1,800 kilometers away and works on the farm. For example, at the sheep shears in October.
“The expanse, the archaic landscape, the animals and nature are fascinating,” says Schär. “The starry sky at night is indescribable. You must have seen it!” Whenever possible, Clara arrives and enjoys time in double seclusion. Here they ride astride the vast steppe and help with the work to be done.
10,000 free-roaming Merino sheep on a certified, sustainable farm with solar and wind systems. Precious merino wool is sent to Italy and processed there. A good deal as the proud owner explains. “But animal welfare always comes first for us. Animals are our capital.”
Holidays in Switzerland
The couple is not considering returning to Switzerland for now. They both spend their holidays with their daughter Joséphine, as they have done for years in their second homeland, Argentina.
When her Swiss grandmother asks which country she likes more, Joséphine replies: “You can’t compare this country. Every country has its good sides.” Only his parents can get along.