Tobacco Cultivation in Switzerland. A Year in the Field.

Around 130 farms cultivate tobacco in Switzerland today, organised within the SwissTabac growers' association. The cultivated area has been around 450 hectares for years - a fraction of the area in the 1960s, when over 5000 hectares of tobacco were cultivated.

The annual harvest quantity ranges between 1000 and 1200 tonnes of raw tobacco. Approximately two-thirds of this is traded as Burley, one-third as Virginia. Switzerland's self-sufficiency in its own tobacco is less than one percent - which makes Swiss tobacco not a question of quantity, but of character.

Geographical distribution: 75 percent of the cultivated area is in the Broye Valley (Vaud and Fribourg). Other relevant cultivation areas are Aargau, Thurgau, St. Gallen, Tessin and parts of Central Switzerland. Heimat exclusively sources tobacco from this Swiss growers' circle.

In late February or early March, the seeds are sown in shallow trays in a heated greenhouse. Tobacco seeds are tiny - 1 gram contains around 10 000 grains. In a few square metres, seedlings for several hectares of field area are grown.

In the first few weeks, the seedlings require consistently warm temperatures of around 22 degrees and uniform moisture. Neglecting the seedbed means no seedlings in May and thus no tobacco year. This phase is the most technically demanding because the grower must care for hundreds of small plants simultaneously.

From April, the young plants are hardened off - outdoors during the day, back indoors at night. This preparation for the outdoor climate determines how robustly the plants will survive the first few weeks in the field.

Mid to late May - typically after the Ice Saints - the approximately 25 centimetre tall seedlings are planted in the field. Planting distance: around 60 centimetres between plants, 90 centimetres between rows. Between 18,000 and 22,000 plants are set per hectare.

Planting is partly done by machine, partly by hand - depending on the size of the farm. In any case, it remains hand and knee work, because each plant is watered after setting to ensure establishment.

In the first ten days, it is determined what percentage of the seedlings actually take root. With good weather, over 95 percent; with drought or late frost, sometimes only 60 percent - then replanting must be organized.

The plants grow rapidly. In June, the fields are hoed to remove weeds and keep the soil structure open. Pest controls are conducted weekly - the main risks are aphids, cutworms, and in wet years, downy mildew.

In July, the plants reach their full height: Burley up to 2.20 meters, Virginia more compact at around 1.60 meters. The crucial intervention at this phase is topping - the flower head is nipped off as soon as the first buds appear. The plant stops its reproductive energy and diverts it to the leaves.

After topping, suckers emerge from the leaf axils - these are removed by hand over several weeks. Neglecting this leads to a loss of leaf mass and depth of flavour.

The lowest leaves ripen first. As soon as they reach their characteristic yellowish-green colour, they are picked by hand - typically at the end of July. This first harvest is called sand leaves.

Over six to eight weeks, the harvest progresses upwards in stages. 18 to 22 leaves are harvested per plant, in three to five passes. The uppermost leaves, known as tip leaves, are the thickest, darkest, and contain the most aroma components.

Burley is harvested whole (entire plants) or as single leaves - depending on the drying method. Virginia is always harvested as single leaves, because heat drying requires sorted leaf stages.

Burley is hung in open tobacco barns - the characteristic wooden sheds with ventilation slits that shape the landscape in the Broye Valley. The leaves dry for four to eight weeks, undergoing spontaneous micro-fermentation and losing around 80 percent of their water.

Virginia is flue-cured in closed drying chambers. Over three to six days, the temperature gradually rises to up to 75 degrees. This process fixes the natural plant sugars.

Anyone driving through the Broye Valley in late summer will see the sheds fully hung - a landscape that has barely changed since the 19th century.

From November, growers bundle the dried leaves into packages - traditionally around 25 kilograms. Each package is classified by variety, leaf stage, and quality.

Delivery to the SwissTabac growers' association takes place between December and March. There, grading masters assess the quality, which determines the payout price. Swiss tobacco is generally compensated based on quality, not just weight.

Only then does the tobacco go into the fermentation warehouses - for Heimat, to Payerne, where it rests for at least 18 months before being processed further. The next seedbed is already being created at this time.