Winery, restaurant…: From St. Gallen to Nova Scotia: the Canadian odyssey of a Swiss family

More than 20 years ago, the Stutz family, originally from St. Gallen, decided to start a new life in Canada. The father bought a wine estate and his children joined him in this adventure. Separating business from family has not always been an easy task.

Beatrice Stutz, a native of Grabs (SG), has lived in Nova Scotia, Canada for over 20 years. “For me, it was clear from the start that I would leave – Canada had always appealed to me,” says Beatrice when she welcomes us to the family wine estate in Grand Pré.

At the turn of the 2000s, the family left Grabs to settle in Nova Scotia. Hanspeter Stutz, now 77 years old, left Switzerland with his daughter Beatrice and son Jürg. Their partners also made the trip. Before buying the abandoned Grand Pré wine estate in 1993, the Saint-Gallois asked Jürg, then in business training in Grabs, what he thought about the idea of ​​going into viticulture. “Jürg said yes,” and the family business was launched.

It took several years for the project to come to fruition. In 2000, the Grand Pré wine estate finally opened its doors, accompanied by the restaurant Le Caveau, which Beatrice manages. Since then, The Inn hotel has also emerged. “At first, none of us knew exactly what we were doing. Sometimes I look back and say to myself that it’s crazy that everything worked out,” remembers Beatrice, a former druggist, who always dreamed of running a restaurant.

“We make new friendships”

Jürg’s wife, Cäcilia, now manages the wine store, takes care of marketing, social media and much more. She accompanied her husband on his new Canadian adventure, but never imagined one day emigrating. “It was always clear to me that I would stay in Switzerland,” says Cäcilia with a laugh.

Beatrice Stutz adds: “At first, I of course missed my friends and colleagues, but we made new friends.”

A new beginning in Canada

It was in 2000 that Beatrice packed her bags and left Switzerland with her husband at the time, a Swiss chef. However, this marriage ended: “It was not easy for him, in the end we no longer had the same objectives and his path took him back to Switzerland.” In 2014, she married her new husband, a Canadian whom she met in her new country. “Yes, he’s Canadian, and yes, he’s a cook,” adds Beatrice, aged 53, with a smile.

The departure for Canada was not easy. Beatrice and Jürg’s mother died just before they left in 1992, aged 45. Beatrice, her eyes a little darker, remembers: “I think my father was then ready to make a new start.”

Getting started in Canada wasn’t always easy, especially because of the language barrier. Beatrice had learned English from a young age thanks to a language stay in San Diego. “I just needed a refresher and had to learn all the technical terms,” she recalls.

If she had to start over, Beatrice would have liked to have someone from the country by her side to give her practical advice. “We just did things the way we thought. And in the end, it worked out well. We made mistakes, we learned, and at some point we found the people who helped us,” she recalls.

For Beatrice, the biggest challenge in an unfamiliar country is understanding how things work. “Just because something is done this way in Switzerland doesn’t mean it will work the same way elsewhere,” she explains. According to her, those who wish to emigrate must be courageous and open, without giving up and being fully aware of what they are committing to. “He who does not do his homework must learn it the hard way.”

“You argue more quickly with your brother than with a stranger”

Nova Scotia has become her home, a place she deeply cherishes. “It’s so beautiful,” she said enthusiastically. Sure, there were times she wanted to give up the business, but the thought of going home? “Never !”

Starting a business as a family was a real challenge. “Meetings are often emotional, you argue more quickly with your brother than with a stranger,” confides Beatrice. Sometimes she regrets starting a family business because business decisions often took a back seat, overshadowed by family. “It’s incredibly difficult to separate private life and professional life.”

“Even more Swiss in the region”

The Nova Scotia wine region is still young, but the Grand Pré estate will celebrate its 25th anniversary next June. Beatrice is impatient: “And as if we had agreed, Edelweiss will fly to Halifax from the summer of 2025 and bring even more Swiss people to the region.”

Why visit Nova Scotia? A smile lights up Beatrice’s face. “There are so many reasons. Beautiful nature, of course, and the wine region is still relatively young compared to other historic wine regions. “It offers so many possibilities.”

What she appreciates above all is the slightly slower pace of life, more authentic than that of Switzerland. “Here, everything is a little slower, and we are surrounded by the sea, the landscapes are simply unique,” ​​she explains. Whether it’s hiking, seafood or bald eagle watching, Nova Scotia is a true natural treasure.

Despite the difficulties encountered, the Stutz family was able to find their place in the family business. “Each of us has a certain responsibility,” concludes Beatrice. Time will tell if one of her three sons or Cäcilia’s two boys will one day follow in their parents’ footsteps.