TRADITIONAL BREAD FROM FONTANELLA
The last baker
The Obergrechter bakery in Fontanella has been around since 1977. Master baker Oliver Konzett and his wife Conny run the business in the second generation and deliver fresh bread to tourist and catering establishments every day - from St. Gerold to Damüls. D' Obergrechter Bäck delivered bread over the pass for the first time over 30 years ago. A lot has changed since then, a blessing and a curse for what is now the only baker in the region.
Fontanella is the highest mountain village in the valley and is known as the sunny balcony of the Grosses Walsertal. The historic Obergrechter Bäck bakery is located right at the entrance to the village. How did this unusual name come about? In the past, all Walser areas were divided into courts. The Walser people did not have to do military service, but instead farmed the forests and meadows. They had their own jurisdiction. "There was a court in Sonntag - the lower court - and one here in Fontanella - the upper court. My father named the bakery after it," explains Oliver. As a child, he stood in the bakery of his father, who founded the bakery, and when he attended the commercial academy in Bregenz and Bludenz, Herwig asked him if he was interested in continuing the business. "Why not?" thought Oliver, who had already had to help out in the business as a teenager in order to earn money for his bicycle. After completing his A-levels and the army, he began his apprenticeship as a baker in Lech and completed it in Feldkirch with the journeyman's examination. In 2001, he joined his parents' business, went to master school in Wels after a break in Lucerne and took over the reins in 2011.
Everything changed
Since then, no stone has been left unturned. Back then, the delivery area was still limited to the Große Walsertal valley, but today deliveries are made seven days a week to hotels and restaurants as far as Damüls. "My father used to have to go from house to house, introduce himself and ask if he could deliver. It's all different today," says the only baker in the valley. In spring 1991, he drove to Damüls for the first time. "In the high season, we cover around 80 kilometers every day and distribute our bread in two vans," says Oliver, who is in the bakery every day during the season.
Most of the work is done during the vacations, when his own children are on vacation. That's when the baker's day starts at one o'clock in the morning on average. "We then bake the bread, my wife comes in at four o'clock, divides it up according to orders and the bread has to be delivered by half past six," explains the Walser. Production then continues in the bakery for the next day. "At lunchtime, I lie down for an hour or two and then go for a run with the dog. It's important for me to get out before I start planning and ordering bread again in the evening," emphasizes Oliver.
New orders come in every day, mostly by phone, e-mail, but also by fax. "It's hard to believe, but that's the quickest way. Not everyone sits at the computer all the time, but many write their sandwiches on a piece of paper, press redial and the order is gone," smiles the boss, who, as the first and last person in the business, simply doesn't have the time for a digital changeover.
Baking bread is a process
In the seasonal business, the Obergrechter Bäck from Fontanella supplies over 80 customers and delivers around 3,000 rolls and bread rolls at peak times. "We bake fresh every day, but we have to pre-produce the dough," Oliver reveals and explains: "It's a misconception that many people have about the dream job of a baker. With these quantities, baking bread is a complex process that has to go hand in hand. Many varieties have to be ready to bake at the same time so that we can use our two ovens efficiently." Always bearing in mind that the bread should be ready by four o'clock in the morning. That's when they are packed into bags for each customer, the orders are sorted into boxes and the car is systematically loaded for delivery.
Recently, the range has had to be greatly reduced due to staff shortages. Oliver has inherited many classics from his father, but has also developed new ideas. "Our customers know what they want, and they get it in good, consistent quality," emphasizes the passionate baker. His flagship product is the "Bauernpärle", as they say in the vernacular. A bread that is often used for the well-known "Leberkäsesemmel" in Vorarlberg.
"The winemakers also drink their wine themselves. Like them, I see the results every day, which is exhausting, but also satisfying."
His bread has a face
Despite the challenges, he has opted for the family business. "We have the support of the local population and the tourism businesses are happy that we supply the bread as a local bakery," says the Managing Director. Making something of our own, as we have known since before the coronavirus bread baking hype, is simply satisfying. "It's creative work that also has a benefit," says Oliver. "And just like your own children are the best, your own bread tastes the best too," he adds, emphasizing: "The winegrowers also drink their own wine. Like them, I see the results every day, which is exhausting but also satisfying."
What's more, no two products taste the same. "Because the story around it has to fit. Our bread has had a face for decades, you know who is behind it," says Oliver. The balance is important to him, otherwise you have to stop, he says. "The advantages outweigh the disadvantages and even if it's dark sometimes, you should never lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel," he emphasizes. Business and life in Fontanella has taught him many things. "Especially that we don't have to move away to have it better. It's just different, but it's not better anywhere else in the world. You only appreciate that once you've been away," confirms the baker and concludes: "You can still drink the water from the tap here. I can forget to lock the front door. I can let my children run around outside and show them a real salamander, deer or chamois. It's nice that we can live and work here."
