Tomatoes from Ticino

Unlike the Migros AG regional divisions in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, Migros Ticino began as a cooperative. The «Migros Società Cooperativa fra produttori e consumatori» began operating shops and sales vans in 1933, while also promoting the production of locally-grown vegetables, especially tomatoes.


To help fight the effects of the economic crisis, the government came to the aid of Ticino farmers and subsidised tomato farming. When Migros AG realised this bountiful harvest needed buyers, it took the opportunity to start selling them in its shops in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. This led to the establishment of the «Migros Società Cooperativa fra produttori e consumatori» in 1933.
The other regional divisions of Migros were public limited companies; this was the first cooperative that Gottlieb Duttweiler initiated. As its name suggests, it aimed to support not only consumers but producers, too. In Mendrisiotto, for instance, it gave farmers tomato seeds and guaranteed buyers for their harvest and in five years production rose from 100,000 to 800,000 kilos. Potatoes and spring vegetables, for which Ticino became Migros’ most important supplier, were the next to benefit.
For Duttweiler, the Società Cooperativa was a way to experiment with how to transform all of Migros into a cooperative. He said in 1940 that it was «truly a unique model and inspiration for the now emerging Swiss cooperative.»