Achieving success with artisanry and a RONDO dough sheeter
QRAFTwerk is a small patisserie in the heart of the Swiss village of Grindelwald. The owners, Nadja and Oliver Fuhrer, produce energy bars as well as croissants, nut swirls and other pastries by hand for their international clientele. We had the opportunity to talk to Nadja and Oliver about their experiences with a very special RONDO dough sheeter.
Profile
Customer: QRAFTwerk, Grindelwald / Switzerland
Machine: Mechanical RONDO dough sheeter, bought second-hand, year of manufacture 1982
In operation at QRAFTwerk since: 2023
Products: Energy bars, bi-colour croissants (raspberry, chocolate), nut croissants, chocolate teacakes with shortcrust pastry base, chocolate
Interview
How did you end up with your RONDO dough sheeter?
We bought our mechanical dough sheeter from a second-hand machine retailer in Bern. It turned out that the machine was first put into operation in 1982. It is still going strong today. Because it can be adjusted and maneuvered easily, it is perfectly suited to the limited space available in our production facilities.
By using our RONDO dough sheeter, we are able to significantly increase our daily production of baked goods while maintaining our artisanal quality standards.
In what ways does the dough sheeter help you with your day-to-day work?
All our baked goods are made by hand in our in-house production facility. We mainly use the RONDO dough sheeter for making croissants and nut croissants, as well as for sheeting dough. The bases of our chocolate teacakes are made from shortcrust pastry, which we also prepare using the dough sheeter. It enables us to produce a larger quantity by hand every day without compromising on quality.
Mechanical RONDO dough sheeter, year of manufacture 1982
Bi-colour croissants on display
The breathtaking view from the front of the QRAFTwerk patisserie
Owner Oliver Fuhrer making chocolate croissants
What is it like working with RONDO?
The CEO of RONDO, Peter Studer, came to the patisserie. That’s how we got talking and the closer working relationship with RONDO came about. Our machine was getting a bit long in the tooth and was due for a service. We were surprised that RONDO was still able to offer maintenance and replacement kits for such an old machine. So we are very happy with the working relationship we have.