News Odeon
Since this year, ODEON has been serving beef that couldn't be more sustainable. We were able to personally visit and confirm the high standards of the organic farm with its own butcher's shop in Küsnacht.
A cold breeze sweeps over the Pfannenstiel as we visit Claudia Wanger and Nils Müller on their farm "zur Chalte Hose". While we bury our hands in our jacket pockets, the robust Angus cattle, riding horses and Turopolje pigs stand unimpressed in their enclosures and greet us in a friendly manner. " Our animals are outside in all weathers and eat what grows on our land," explains Claudia Wanger: "Thanks to the natural animal husbandry with lots of space to roam, they are relaxed and perfectly healthy."
The ODEON team at the "Zur Chalte Hose" farm.
Claudia Wanger and Nils Müller have transformed the 300-year-old farm into a gem.
Two out-of-use silos were turned into chicken coops with a view.
The entire farm is organized in harmony with nature. From the perennial garden to the secluded seating area to the animal enclosures, everything seems organically arranged and connected. Every corner radiates ecological diversity, humanity and creativity - even during our visit in February, when the vegetation was still asleep. The animals spend the winter months in their open pens with plenty of space to roam, alternative options and thick straw beds. From March to October, the animals graze on the surrounding grassland or on the alp. In this way, they ensure that the fields are covered with new grass and maintain soil fertility in the long term. The pigs, on the other hand, dig for acorns at the edge of the forest and thus keep scrub encroachment in check.
The Angus cattle spend most of the year grazing with the horses.
The calves remain in the mother cow's herd until they reach sexual maturity.
Nevertheless, there is still meat production on this farm. "Respect for animals also means not anthropomorphizing them," says Nils Müller. "Grazing animals are an important link in the food chain. They can convert raw fibers that are indigestible for humans into valuable animal proteins." However, the prerequisites for climate-friendly meat consumption are that cows exclusively graze and that no arable land is wasted on animal feed. In addition, the consumption of animal products and food waste must be drastically reduced. "Back to the good Sunday roast" is the motto.
We love our animals, that's why we kill them ourselves.
Nils Müller
Organic farmer
Robust, muscular, hornless and good-natured: Angus cattle are considered the ideal breed for the original suckler cattle husbandry practised by Claudia Wanger and Nils Müller. The suckler cows live together with their calves and the bull, while the cattle form their own herd. "We give our cattle time to grow," says Nils Müller. "Without fattening feed, they need up to two and a half years to reach their slaughter weight." This is not the only difference to conventional cattle fattening. Nils and Claudia know every animal by name and feel responsible - from birth to slaughter.
The moment of shooting: pasture killing from a high stand, as a stress-free alternative to live transportation and mass slaughter.
To this day, the killing remains an emotional moment for the farm owners.
Nils Müller is regarded as a pioneer of pasture slaughter and has campaigned at a political level to restore the practice in Switzerland. In the paddock, he explains to the ODEON team step by step how such a procedure is carried out: from the sleepless night before, to the head shot from the high seat, to the transportation of the carcass to the nearby slaughterhouse. "The cow grazes peacefully in its herd until it falls without warning and is immediately unconscious. It is spared all the stress of separation and transportation. This has a significant impact on animal welfare and meat quality," explains Nils Müller and answers all questions - informed, sensitive and self-critical.
In the «Chalten Hose» in-house butcher's shop, the team matures, processes and refines the high-quality meat into finished products. Since taking over the local slaughterhouse in 2023, Nils Müller has also been able to offer his pasture slaughtering service to partner farms in the region. This has been well received not only by the farmers. Thanks to the purchased meat, new sales channels are opening up for «Wangers Landmetzg» .For ODEON guests, it means a selection of beef that meets highest quality and ethical standards. On our menu since the beginning of 2024: juicy beef burgers and the finest tartare from the Pfannenstiel.