Martin Mayer, founder of Vuaillat AG, will host the first Vuaillat Sourdough Summit to mark the company’s 10th anniversary. It will be held on October 4, 2026, in Russikon, Switzerland.
The Vuaillat Sourdough Summit is not intended as a typical anniversary event. Rather, Vuaillat AG aims to create a platform where bakers, millers, farmers, academics, industry representatives, and bread lovers can exchange ideas about the future of artisan bread.
The focus will be on questions such as:
- What future does traditional baking have?
- What role does wheat sourdough play in a modern bakery?
- How can regionality, sustainability, and innovation be combined?
- What responsibility does the baking trade bear for the food of tomorrow?
The summit will conclude with a joint ‘Manifesto for the Future of Bread;.
The first Vuaillat Sourdough Summit brings together individuals who shape the baking trade in German-speaking countries from diverse perspectives. Research, craftsmanship, knowledge transfer, association work, and business development converge in one place.
Participants include:
- Michael Kleinert (Germany)
Baker, professor, and internationally recognized expert on sourdough, grains, and baking technology. For many years, he has been one of the most important professional voices in the German-speaking baking trade. - Marcel Paa (Switzerland)
Baker, author, and one of the best-known bread and sourdough ambassadors in German-speaking countries. With his books, courses, and digital formats, he inspires thousands of people daily with the traditional art of baking. - Moritz Metzler (Germany)
Baker at Metzler Bakery and a representative of a modern, artisanal bread culture with a consistent commitment to quality. - Peter Schumacher (Switzerland)
Managing Director of Proback and a long-time business consultant for bakeries. He advises numerous businesses on their strategic and economic development. - Claudia Vernocchi (Switzerland)
Vice Director of the Swiss Bakers’ and Confectioners’ Association (SBC) and one of the leading figures in the Swiss bakery industry. - Martin Mayer (Switzerland)
Baker, Managing Director of Vuaillat AG, and initiator of the first Vuaillat Sourdough Summit. For ten years, he has dedicated himself to the further development of wheat sourdough and is committed to promoting the traditional art of baking through courses, professional events, and the first Swiss sourdough hotel.
Vuaillat bakery and the new sourdough summit
The bakery’s history spans around 150 years – from its beginnings as the Denzler bakery, through Doris & Cédric Vuaillat, to the present-day Vuaillat AG under the leadership of Martin Mayer. Among the innovations it introduced, it notably established the country’s first sourdough hotel, along with dedicated courses.
With wheat sourdough, the first Swiss sourdough hotel, and a consistent focus on artisan bread, baker Martin Mayer has developed Vuaillat AG into one of the best-known sourdough manufacturers in the German-speaking world, beyond Switzerland’s borders. The anniversary honors the people who have shaped this history across generations and simultaneously focuses on the future of artisan bread, the bakery underlines.
Martin Mayer comments: “Ten years ago, we made a conscious decision to put wheat sourdough back at the heart of our work. Today, with the first Vuaillat Sourdough Summit, we want to bring together people who are passionate about baking and who want to think together about how good bread will continue to be made in the future. Good things take time – and good ideas are born from exchange.”
Photos: Vuaillat bakery