Tartlets are a growth driver for Swiss pastry
manufacturer HUG. The increase in demand is also
linked to the shortage of skilled workers in the catering
and bakery sectors.
By Helga Baumfalk
To meet growing demand, HUG launched a new production line in spring 2025 and now manufactures over 100 million tartlets per year. Compared to 2023, output has thus increased by a third.
Skilled labor shortage as a driver
Anna Hug, co-managing director of HUG AG, sees the shortage of skilled workers in the catering and bakery sectors as a key driver of growth. “The shortage of skilled workers is not only noticeable in Europe, but globally. As a result, complex products such as tartlets are no longer produced in-house but purchased from outside suppliers. We therefore still see great potential for development in many regions. On the other hand, we are living in extremely turbulent times. Ultimately, the positive development of the tartlet business as a whole is also linked to general travel activity and the staging of major events, congresses, and general socializing habits. We have no direct influence on this.”
Two generations of tartlets
The company offers 60 different sweet and savory snack tartlets, e.g., made from dough with olives and rosemary or tomatoes and basil. The sweet varieties include various shortcrust and chocolate dough options. Together, these two types account for the majority of sales.
HUG has been producing tartlets since the 1970s. The products in the ‘Classic Line’ are part of the first generation and have the typical slanted pastry edge. Many customers prefer these classics. For the pastry manufacturer, they remain an important mainstay in the portfolio, even though there have been further developments in the meantime. “Our Filigrano tartlets have vertical pastry edges,” reports Anna Hug. “And they have thinner walls than almost all other tartlets on the market.” This results in a unique dough-to-filling ratio. This isn’t so easy to achieve. “It took a lot of investment in precision machinery, a great deal of know-how and patience before we were even able to produce them,” she notes.
“The shortage of skilled workers is not only noticeable in Europe, but globally. As a result, complex products such as tartlets are no longer manufactured in-house, but purchased from outside suppliers.”
Anna Hug, Co-Managing Director, HUG AG
Challenges arise not only from the shape, but also from the recipe. “The snack tartlets contain less sugar,” explains the managing director. “This allows the gluten structure to develop better. This, in turn, means that these doughs have fewer tolerances during production across several process steps.”
Never frozen
Packaging is no less demanding. A sophisticated concept is needed to ensure that the tartlets arrive at the customer without breaking. “The creation and handling of such packaging for industrial production is a demanding and complex process. It is often a long road, but one we are happy to take if it means we can create convenience and prevent food waste,” Hug says.
Tartlet production at the Malters bakery
HUG produces tartlets at its bakery at its headquarters in Malters, near Lucerne in Switzerland. Nine lines are installed here. Two are dedicated to tartlets; the other five produce Wernli brand biscuits and DAR-VIDA brand whole grain crackers.
Tartlets are produced in two shifts, six days a week, in over 20 different shapes. The products are mainly sold to the catering and hotel industry in Switzerland, but above all abroad. “Over two-thirds of production is exported,” reports Anna Hug, co-managing director at HUG. Customers in over 30 countries are supplied, including airlines such as Emirates in Dubai, renowned casinos in Las Vegas/USA, Disneyland in Paris/France, soccer clubs such as Manchester City in the UK, and the venerable Royal Albert Hall in London.
The new line
The new highly automated tartlet line at the Malters bakery is 139 m long in total. It consists of a tray washing system, tray magazine, kneader, a punching machine for shaping, a continuous oven with different heating zones, cooling sections for product cooling, a spraying system in which fat glaze is applied to the pastry molds so that they do not become soggy later when filled by customers, and the packaging area with robots that place the finished pastries in PET blisters, where the blisters are then packed in tubular bags and cartons and automatically palletized.
Because HUG produces tartlets in 60 different varieties, tray logistics require ample space. Around 7,500 trays in 20 different sizes are in circulation. Loaded with the tartlet dough pieces, they pass through the oven, are cleaned above the line after forming, and then return to the beginning of the process.
Unlike others, HUG does not freeze its tartlets, but stores them at room temperature. “Even after that, the tartlets are never frozen throughout the entire supply chain until they reach the end user,” underlines Anna Hug. This makes a decisive difference, as “This enables chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers to freeze our tartlets after filling them. In this way, entire buffets can be prepared days in advance, which can be a great advantage in times of staff shortages.” Packaged in foil and outer cartons, the tartlets have a shelf life of 14 months from the date of production.
The dough/filling ratio is crucial
According to the managing director, what customers really care about when it comes to tartlets is the quality in terms of taste and stability when filled. The optimal dough/filling ratio is also crucial. Anna Hug emphasizes: “The round shape has remained by far the most popular for years because it is the classic tartlet format. In terms of size, we sell the most small tartlets, both savory and sweet, which are used as accompaniments to aperitifs or for dessert buffets.” The bestsellers in the range, she says, are the round dessert tartlets from the Filigrano line, which are 3.8 cm in diameter and made with Swiss butter.
The US is a key market
In terms of sales, the US is the most important market for HUG’s tartlet business, followed by European countries where Western European pâtisserie culture is widespread, such as France, Italy, the UK, and Germany. Hug: “But we are also reaching the Middle East and Asia more and more.”
Tartlettes are used in all segments of the catering industry, from Michelin-starred restaurants to catering services. “Internationally,” says Anna Hug, “the largest volumes go to upscale restaurants in the hotel, event, and convention sectors. We’re talking about huge hotels or casinos in Las Vegas, Dubai, or Singapore, where events with thousands of participants take place. Airlines and cruise ship caterers also use large quantities of tartlets. In addition, we also serve industrial customers and supermarket chains, which use our tartlets to make fresh fruit tarts in their in-store bakeries.”
“It took significant investment in precision machinery, a great deal of expertise, and patience before we were able to produce our Filigrano tartlets with vertical edges.”
Anna Hug, Co-Managing Director, HUG AG
“We love your creativity!”
Tartlets are versatile. That’s what makes them so appealing. “There are virtually no limits to the creativity of the user when it comes to filling them,” reports Hug, referring to the slogan the company came up with to market its products: “We love your creativity!”. Nevertheless, they are most often used to make classic desserts. Sweet variations include all kinds of fruit/berry tarts, tarte au citron, pastel de nata, and Linzer tarts, while savory variations include quiche Lorraine.
“Most customers fill their tartlets by hand using piping bags or dosing funnels,” observes Anna Hug. The Swiss pastry-maker’s tartlets can also be filled with dough and then baked again, which extends the range of applications.
About HUG
HUG was founded in 1877 as a bakery in Lucerne and is still family-owned today, now in its fifth generation. Anna Hug and Marianne Wüthrich Gross jointly manage the company. It has two locations in Malters and Willisau (both in the canton of Lucerne), where around 450 employees work. HUG AG is best known for its retail brands HUG (for the original Zwieback), Wernli (for biscuits such as Choco Petit Beurre) and DAR-VIDA (for crackers). In addition, the company’s HUG Food Service division offers a range of products for the catering industry, which also includes tartlets.
In the 2024 financial year, the Swiss biscuit manufacturer increased its sales by 4% to CHF 131 million compared to the previous year. Retail sales in Switzerland rose by 8.5% and food service sales by 4.5%. HUG generated more than CHF 51 million in the food service business. According to the company, this represents a record achievement and a breakthrough of a magical threshold. In Switzerland, growth was broadly based across various product groups and customers. The DAR-VIDA and Wernli brands also recorded the strongest growth here. However, the largest product group and biggest growth driver are tartlets.