Working together for the Swiss mountains

The fact that a BICO bed offers such a restful night’s sleep is in part due to the various Swiss materials used in its construction. For example, the wool from local mountain sheep used in our mattresses guarantees the ideal comfortable climate. With support from you and Swisswool, we were able to support a range of selected Schweizer Berghilfe projects in autumn 2019 to thank our local farmers.

For the Swiss mountain farmers

BICO, Swisswool and Schweizer Berghilfe formed a mighty trio in 2019, and a share of the profits of the autumn campaign has been donated to the mountain farmers of Switzerland. The main project was the construction of a new sheep pen for the Hohl family, and since more money came in than was needed for that, we were also able to support eight other important Schweizer Berghilfe projects. We want to once again offer you our heartfelt gratitude for your help.

A new sheep pen for the Hohl family

There have been sheep on the Hohl family’s farm for many years, but until now, compared to the livestock farming, these woolly little fellows have been more of a hobby than a serious commercial venture. This project is intended to change that.
The basis for the project is the growing next generation. Where one would have found a farm full of the sounds of happy children until relatively recently, today you find three teenagers on the cusp of adulthood. “When you’re as busy as we are, you sometimes barely notice how quickly the kids are growing up,” Irene Hohl laughed, during our first visit. “But now I’ll soon be the smallest one in the family – a sure sign that we need to start thinking about the future.”

A new pen was necessary to ensure that the estate built up by Irene and Hans Hohl can continue to prosper and the planned sheep farming activities expanded under the next generation. “The Appenzell region is excellent pasture land, which is why we’ve decided to expand our sheep raising hobby into a separate line of business,” explains Hans Hohl, the father. “This will let us lay the foundations for the next generation to successfully carry on with the farm.”

Insights into the project

We’ve followed the Hohl family from the very start to the end of the project and were also delighted to be able to visit the new pen after it was finished. You can get a glimpse of the project yourself using the videos below:

BICO – Working together for the Swiss mountains – Part 1

In the future, the Hohl family from Appenzell aims to focus more on sheep farming and is therefore building a modern and animal-friendly pen. Learn more about the family in part 1 of the video series.

BICO – Working together for the Swiss mountains – Part 2

In part 2, the Hohl family explains why sheep farming is a sensible and sustainable solution for them and why the pen construction project is a future investment for multiple generations.

BICO – Working together for the Swiss mountains – Part 3

With the new sheep pen now finished, Mr Hohl tells us more about the pen concept and its features. Watch part 3 for some initial insights into the (almost) finished project.

BICO – Working together for the Swiss mountains – Part 4

Thanks to the cooperation with Schweizer Berghilfe, the project is now complete, laying the foundation for the future of the younger generation. Watch the fourth and last part of the series for more information.