Manuel Dubacher – A new perspective on the Board of Directors

Manuel Dubacher joined the Board of Directors of bio.inspecta this year. For many of our customers, he is still a new face. So it is time to get to know him a little better.

Food has played an important role in Manuel Dubacher’s life for many years. His enjoyment of food and his interest in natural sciences led him to ETH Zurich after completing his Matura, where he studied food science.

After graduating, he gained his first practical experience in the food industry in Bischofszell. He took on management responsibility early in his career – not something he had planned, but an experience that would have a lasting influence on his professional path.

In 2011, Manuel Dubacher joined bio-familia AG in Sachseln. He initially worked in production management before later taking responsibility for operations. From 2023 onwards, he managed the company together with Daniel Bächler as Co-CEO.

Today, Manuel Dubacher is Head of Operations at Dumet, a company specialising in olives. This keeps him close to food production and operational processes – and to many of the topics that bio.inspecta customers deal with in their day-to-day work.

First-hand knowledge of the food industry
Manuel Dubacher’s professional background brings a particularly valuable perspective to the Board of Directors of bio.inspecta. He knows food processing from day-to-day operations and understands what requirements relating to quality, processes and sustainability mean for companies in practice.

Manuel, what prompted you to accept a position on the Board of Directors of bio.inspecta?
I have been working wholeheartedly in food companies for around 20 years, always in a production or operations management role. Improvement processes and taking stock of where we stand have always been part of my day-to-day work.

As a representative of production, I often took part in external audits and accompanied auditors through the facility. I always found this interesting: an outside perspective was valuable, and the conversations that took place alongside the actual inspection repeatedly provided ideas for improvements.

So in a way, I have been involved in certification for a long time – just from the other side, as the person answering the questions. I therefore know the faces of quite a few bio.inspecta auditors very well. This makes me all the more pleased to now bring the customer perspective to the Board of Directors.

Certification itself is a new field for me, and I look forward to contributing an outside perspective. Strategic work and leadership, on the other hand, are familiar territory, as I have had many opportunities to help shape both in my previous roles.

Organic, quality and tomorrow’s developments
The food industry is constantly evolving. Requirements change, sustainability continues to gain importance, while companies also need to remain economically viable and find solutions that work in practice.

Which developments do you consider particularly important for the coming years?
There are three topics that are particularly on my mind at the moment: how political and economic decision-makers respond to the major challenges of our time, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, and climate change. I cannot say in what order these topics will gain importance – they are closely interconnected anyway.

I am convinced that these developments will have a major impact on our society and economy and are therefore also relevant to bio.inspecta as a company. Despite all the uncertainty, we need to keep looking for new approaches and opportunities. What matters is what lies at the heart of a company and shapes its values – its culture.

That is one of the reasons why I did not have to think twice about joining bio.inspecta. With my children in mind, it is important to me to work every day towards a world worth living in – ecologically, socially and ethically, as well as economically.

In the future, Manuel Dubacher would also like to contribute his experience in food technology, production and corporate management to the strategic development of bio.inspecta.

But who is Manuel Dubacher when there is no Board meeting on the agenda and no olives are being packed?

Manuel, tell us a little about yourself. Where is home for you, and what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
So far, life has taken me almost all the way around Lake Lucerne, with a few trips to Zurich and eastern Switzerland along the way. I was born in the canton of Uri and grew up and went to school in the Schwyz basin. I lived in Lucerne for a short time with my now wife, and for more than 15 years we have called Obwalden home.

That is also where we became a family. Our daughter is now 13 and our son is 10. We try to spend as much of our free time together as possible, while everyone also has their own interests and passions.

In summer and autumn, we often travel as a family and stay at campsites, while in winter we spend practically every weekend on the ski slopes. When I am on my own, I enjoy cycling both on and off the road – a little less than I used to, although I am once again cycling to work more often whenever I can fit it in.

What does organic mean to you personally?
I first came into contact with organic as a producer and only later as a consumer, so initially I got to know it from a very technical perspective.

At bio-familia, I began to understand what really lies behind it. I was also involved in carrying forward the ideas of the company’s founders, which are closely linked to the development of the organic movement in Switzerland. The writings of Dr Müller showed me that there is much more to it than may appear at first glance. This way of thinking was also firmly rooted in everyday life and in discussions with my colleagues.

Today, I appreciate organic even more. I experience it first-hand in the organic self-harvest garden where we pick our vegetables. And I still enjoy watching the sheep’s wool we laid out last autumn slowly decompose as the greenery grows between it.

What would you like to help shape at bio.inspecta?
I would like to contribute the perspective of food producers so that we can continue to create value for our customers and thereby secure bio.inspecta’s long-term success. I also want to play my part in ensuring that bio.inspecta and all its employees are well prepared for the challenges I mentioned and can approach them with a positive mindset.

And finally: what should never be missing from a good apéro for you?
As Head of Operations at Dumet, there can really only be one answer: good olives! I appreciate the diversity of olive varieties and origins – from mild to intense, from tangy to spicy, there is an enormous range to discover.