Customers book their Christmas trees for early August: That’s why George Studer’s Christmas trees are a hit

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When Blick arrives to make an appointment at “Tannenbäumli-Studer” in a forest clearing near Kappel SO, owner George Studer (61) is nowhere to be seen because of all the fir trees. He is currently cutting down a Christmas tree for a client in the woods next to his farm.

A short time later, he returns to the yard with a seven-foot-tall conifer from his Christmas tree farm and says with a broad grin: “I’m really stressed about Christmas trees.” While many companies want to purchase large-sized trees, many detached house owners in the region prefer trees 2 to 2.5 meters high. It’s a tough job for the tree salesman.

Studer says early snow increases sales. The next day there will also be a night sale: business will go really well and customers will stay late into the night with mulled wine and raclette in the “Weihnachtsstübli” that Studer has temporarily set up in the machine shed. The loving engagement comes from Studer’s wife, Petronilla, 61.

“Sometimes customers forget their Christmas trees with us because of the celebrations,” laughs Studer.

The details make it so attractive

This is definitely not the case for Emilia (5) and her mother Stefanie Grolimund (32) from neighboring Boningen SO: They chose a bushy Nordmann fir. “In previous years we have written about the fir tree, but this year we are short on time and are taking it with us,” says Stefanie Grolimund.

Is it written? Starting from August, Studer customers can choose a suitable tree and reserve it for themselves by sending an address. This can still be seen on some trees. Meanwhile, Studer cut down the Grolimunds’ Christmas tree. This means: cut horizontally from the stem, not pointed, and leave the peel on. “Otherwise the wood will dry out very quickly,” Studer warns.

Another family looks around the field and wonders whether they should cut down the tree they want themselves. As is usually the case, Studer does it himself. “He would never destroy this atmosphere with a chainsaw,” he adds.

Only a quarter of seedlings become Christmas trees

It’s these details that make buying a farm Christmas tree so appealing. The company is now known nationally and there is a drive-through further down the village where you can quickly take away the Christmas tree. “It’s a relic from the times of corona,” says Studer.

His business is still a “small fish” in the Swiss Christmas tree market. There is a 20-hectare farm nearby that meets the needs of Migros and Coop. Studer has only two hectares with about 5,000 trees. He replants about 1,000 trees each year and sells about 250 as Christmas trees. Losses due to drought, hail or deer are quite high. Studer can compete on price, but that’s not the deciding factor: “We are valued for other reasons.”

Every tree sold comes with mulled wine and chocolate kisses for the kids. Studer repeats several times that his trees “have character.” Nordmann firs are the most popular, but they also offer blue spruce, red fir, Noblis, Engelmania and Korean firs. Studer stopped an experiment with Colorado firs – “they weren’t nice at all.”

Buying a tree is “love at first sight”

For Studer, selling Christmas trees is just a hobby. In fact, it sells cruise tours with two branches in Zurich and Neuchâtel. The Christmas tree business came about completely by chance, with the purchase of the farm located in the geographical center of the two cruise offices 10 years ago.

Studer had no idea about Christmas trees before, but he wanted to try it. He is now a true professional and knows which tree is suitable for which type of person. Blue spruce, for example, is especially suitable for cat owners because of its barbed needles that keep pets away.

Studer says Christmas trees aren’t a profitable business: “But it’s a beautiful business where you get to get close to people and choose the tree with them, which sometimes turns into a ‘love at first sight’ kind of reaction.” And he assures us that he will not invest any money in this business.

Her adult daughters’ partners step in to help her get through this. It also sells homemade kirsch or sweet cider. Their customers consist of older couples, many families, and also many young people. He concludes that real Christmas trees are still very valuable.

Studer concludes: “I do all this out of pure idealism.” And he immediately packs the next tree – another Nordmann fir for Mia Wyss (8) from Kappel SO – into the net machine, where newly arrived customers greet him by name.

Source :Blick