Altbachmühle

1760 – A Mill in the Fricktal

The history of Altbachmühle begins in 1760 in Wittnau, a village in the Aargau Fricktal between the Black Forest and the Jura, in a landscape shaped for centuries by arable farming and the artisan processing of agricultural produce. Mills at that time were the economic backbone of entire village communities: they transformed the grain from surrounding farms into what was indispensable for sustenance – flour. Altbachmühle has never abandoned this core mission. Location, raw material base and the fundamental principle of processing have remained essentially unchanged throughout more than 260 years of company history.

Today the mill is run in the 8th and 9th generation by the Tschudi family. This cross-generational continuity is exceptional in Swiss food production. It leaves visible traces: in the orientation towards quality, in the approach to suppliers and customers and in the decision to consciously position the company as a regional specialist – not as an anonymous supplier for the mass market. Altbachmühle links its name directly to every product it delivers. That is a form of accountability that is rarely felt so directly in industrial operations.

Swiss Grain as Raw Material – Origin as a Quality Principle

The grain processed at Altbachmühle comes exclusively from Switzerland. Regional farmers deliver their harvest to a central grain collection point, where the grain is prepared in several stages: it is cleaned – that is, freed from foreign bodies, weed seeds and contaminants –, dried to the optimum moisture content and stored under controlled conditions until it is transported to the mill. This upstream preparation process is not a peripheral step, but a critical quality stage: only grain with a uniform moisture content mills evenly, and only thoroughly cleaned grain produces a flour that is flavour-neutral and technically reliable.

The decision to forgo additives is a deliberate production policy. In industrial flour production it is common practice to treat flours with enzymes, emulsifiers, ascorbic acid or other baking aids in order to compensate for the natural variability of the raw material and ensure consistent baking properties regardless of the harvest. Altbachmühle takes the opposite approach: it relies on the quality of Swiss grain and refrains from subsequent corrections. The flour contains what the grain contains – nothing more and nothing less.

Grain is a natural product, and this means that every harvest brings its own characteristics. Protein content, gluten structure and moisture content vary according to variety, growing region, weather conditions and harvest timing. This natural variability is reflected in the behaviour of the dough: a flour with a higher protein content absorbs more water and produces a more elastic, extensible dough – ideal for yeast breads and pizza doughs. A flour with a finer grind and lower extraction rate, such as classic white flour, is suited to fine baked goods, sponges and patisserie where a light colour and neutral flavour base are required. Those who work with natural flour learn to read these characteristics and adapt the dough accordingly – and in return gain a flour that directly reflects the quality of its origin.

Infrastructure and Operations – Grown Capacity

The growing demand for high-quality regional flour has made Altbachmühle a significant supplier in the Swiss market over the decades. The infrastructure at the Wittnau site has grown accordingly: in addition to the mill itself, the operation today includes several silos for the separate storage of different grain varieties, a flour packaging facility for various pack sizes and a large flour warehouse for order picking and dispatch. This infrastructure is the prerequisite for Altbachmühle being able to offer a broad variety spectrum without cross-contamination or loss of quality.

The separate storage of different grain varieties is not trivial: wheat, spelt, rye and other varieties have different storage requirements and react differently to moisture and temperature. A separate silo structure is the technical foundation for ensuring that each variety can be stored and processed under optimal conditions – and that the finished flour fully brings out the variety-specific characteristics. The operation supplies a broad customer base: private individuals and home bakers who value provenance and naturalness; resellers and specialist retailers; and commercial bakeries and confectioneries that depend on reliable, consistent raw material quality for their daily production.

The Range – Flour for Every Application

Altbachmühle's flour range is designed for the diversity of baking practice. At its centre is wheat flour in various extraction rates: from the light, finely milled white flour for patisserie and fine baked goods through medium types for breads and pizza doughs to wholegrain flours, in which the entire grain including bran and germ is milled. Wholegrain flours provide more dietary fibre, minerals and a more pronounced flavour than light flours – but they also require more liquid in the dough and more careful dough management.

Spelt flour occupies a special position in the range. Spelt is one of the oldest grain crops in Europe and is valued for its nutty flavour and its variety characteristics that are little changed compared to modern wheat. Spelt flours are more sensitive to over-kneading than wheat flours, which requires an adapted processing technique, but give breads, baked goods and pasta a distinctive flavour note. Rye flour contains almost no gluten protein and requires sourdough or other acidifying agents to produce bakeable doughs – it is the basis for rye bread and mixed breads with a strong, full flavour.

Parts of the range carry organic certification. Organic grain is grown according to the guidelines of organic farming – without synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilisers – and is stored and processed separately to exclude mixing with conventionally grown grain. The certification guarantees that the entire production chain meets the relevant standards.

White flour · Semi-white flour · Wholegrain flour · Spelt flour · Rye flour · Organic flours · Specialty flours

Altbachmühle at miniSchoggi

miniSchoggi carries Altbachmühle flours because good baking begins with the right base ingredient. Flour is omnipresent in the kitchen – in bread dough, pizza bases, pasta, shortcrust pastry, sponge cake and patisserie. Understanding the quality of the flour gives the baker control over one of the decisive parameters of the baking result. Altbachmühle flour comes from 100% Swiss grain, is free from additives and is produced by an operation that has been doing exclusively one thing for over 260 years: milling flour.

At miniSchoggi, a selection of Altbachmühle flours is available in practical 1 kg units. The range covers all baking applications and is continuously expanded. Altbachmühle provides the foundation. What becomes of it lies in the hands of those who bake with it.

Milled in Switzerland. Since 1760. Altbachmühle.