Jucker Farm

Jucker Farm is a Swiss agrotourism company and agriculture producer and distributor, that operates three farm estates including restaurants and three farm shops. Based in Seegräben in the canton of Zürich, Jucker Farm is known for the agricultural events, among them the biggest pumpkin festival in Switzerland, and Jucker Farm is also the most important pumpkin producer respectively distributor in Switzerland.

Basing on the Jucker family's tradition to operate their farm in Seegräben on Pfäffikersee shore and their mother's small estate in Rafz, the brothers Beat Jucker and Martin Jucker established in 2000 the Farmart AG (Aktiengesellschaft), which was renamed in 2013 as Jucker Farm AG. As of November 2014, the company owns three farms, including affiliated companies and Jucker Farmart Expo GmbH (Germany) that organizes, among others in the Europapark Rust, pumpkin events in southern Germany. Jucker Farm employs around 150 employees in its operations, i.e. in the three farms and associated farm shops, and two restaurants, that have, depending on weather, between 100 and 8,000 visitors daily.

Among the common agricultural products and the apple orchards, the pumpkin farming is remarkable. The former Jucker Farmart marketed already in 2000 the pumpkin products of about a hundred Swiss farmers: "We are not the only farm selling such products, but probably we are of the size and nature to but unique in Switzerland," said Beat Jucker in an interview, and estimated that their products have between 30 and 50 percent of the total domestic volume account in Switzerland. Around 300 different varieties of pumpkin, of which about 20 main sorts, are distributed; in 2000 about 5,000 tonnes (11,000,000 lb) pumpkin have been sold. The farms sell in the farm shops also books about this plant, Halloween pumpkin cut sets and offer the organization of pumpkin markets, festivals and exhibitions. Jucker Farm therefore claims to be most important producer of pumpkins from organic farming in Switzerland.

The so-called experience farmyards (in German: Erlebnishöfe) provided by the Jucker family in Seegräben (Juckerhof) on Pfäffikersee and in Jona (Bächlihof) on Obersee lakeshore are also nationally known day-trip destinations. In addition to the farm shops and catering, there are for children a nature playground, a goat enclosure, seasonal self picking of fruits and an apple orchard with labyrinth and mazes. Nationally known are the family annual major events, including Switzerland's most important pumpkin festival from September to November: On 5 October 2014, a new international record was established by a pumpkin weighing 953.5 kilograms (2,102 lb), at least for some days, but being still the biggest pumpkin in Switzerland.

...
Wikipedia