Meet Switzerland’s first female bread sommelier

Gabi Meier is Switzerland’s first female bread sommelier – and the first woman to join Basel’s historic bakers’ guild.

In her bakery in Basel’s Neubad neighbourhood, Meier shapes 150 small, elongated dough pieces with swift, precise movements. They will become “Grättimänner”, as they are called locally. The 42-year-old has been working with dough since childhood and now runs the family bakery in its third generation.

The bakery and café employ 14 people. Although Meier trained as a baker, she now spends most of her time in sales and administration after developing an allergy to flour dust.

She originally wanted to become an architect. But when her father fell ill, she changed course and took over the bakery. She has been managing the business since the age of 18.

She has never regretted that choice. “It was the best decision I could have made,” she says. “The best thing is the smell of fresh bread in the morning and the crispy crust when it comes out of the oven.” Her passion also helped her during her training as a bread sommelier.

A spontaneous idea

Meier decided on the sommelier training spontaneously – a choice that turned out to be demanding. She studied for ten months and memorised extensive knowledge about the history of bread and baking. And, of course, she sampled countless loaves.

She sampled bread from around the world and learned to describe their flavours, textures and crusts. She also learned how to match bread with dishes – just as wine sommeliers do. This expertise is valuable in sales, she says.

Many customers want more than just a loaf; they want to learn something about it. “Bread has become a fashionable product. Interest has grown thanks to baking books and the sourdough revival,” Meier says.

A double première

But Gabi Meier is not just Switzerland’s first female bread sommelier. Three days after completing her sommelier exam, she achieved another milestone: she became the first woman accepted into Basel’s Zunft zu Brotbecken, the bakers’ guild. Basel’s guilds have only been required to accept women for the past three years; before that, they were closed to female members.

Despite the rule change, only seven out of 23 guilds currently have women in their ranks, as few women apply. Meier did – though she does not see herself as a pioneer. “I just see myself as a person – I hope others do too – and I just want to enjoy being part of it,” she says.

Beat Schwald, master of the Basel Bakers’ Guild, admits that her admission sparked discussion. “When traditional structures change, it always raises questions and sometimes fears. But we were able to clarify these,” he says.

He is delighted that Meier applied. After all, not every bakers’ guild can claim Switzerland’s first female bread sommelier as a member.

Translated from German using DeepL/amva/sb