Less, more conscious, more consistent
In an industry focused on scaling, standardisation and cost efficiency, Ceres has chosen a different path from the very beginning. Not to produce more. To produce better. Not faster. More carefully.
What started in 1991 in Switzerland as a small research company is today one of the few specialised mother tincture manufactories in Europe — with 35 years of experience, two production sites in Switzerland and a range available in every pharmacy and specialist drugstore in Switzerland.
The question that changed everything
In the early 1980s, the Swiss biochemist and medicinal plant researcher Dr Roger Kalbermatten asked himself whether more active ingredient really means more effect. The question sounds simple. Answering it was not.
In intensive research work, Dr Kalbermatten challenged a central dogma of modern phytotherapy. Clinical studies showed: What matters is not the concentration of an isolated active ingredient, but the complete spectrum of plant activity — its vitality, the interplay of all its ingredients, the integrity of the plant’s essence.
From this insight, a new manufacturing process was developed. And from the process, Ceres was born.
Plant efficacy does not arise to the rhythm of machines. It arises when the plant is given the time and care it needs.
Manufacturing as a craft
Ceres produces exclusively with fresh plants — harvested at the right time, by hand, from organic or biodynamic cultivation or from wild collection. The processing follows a patented procedure designed to preserve as much of the plant spectrum as possible: rhythmic grinding in a closed mill, maceration, multi-year storage in temperature-controlled dark rooms.
The measure is never output. It is the quality of the end product. Which leads to Ceres consciously producing less than possible — and manufacturing what is produced with an effort most competitors are not willing to make.
Two locations, one standard
Ceres produces at two locations in Switzerland: in Kesswil on Lake Constance in the canton of Thurgau — the headquarters — and in Nax in the canton of Valais. Both sites are dedicated to true-to-the-plant nature fresh plant processing.
The company is today led by Christoph Kalbermatten, pharmacist and son of the founder. The combination of scientific expertise, artisanal tradition and family continuity is defining for the corporate culture.
Not for the masses. For people.
Ceres products are used by doctors, pharmacists, naturopaths, therapists and midwives — and by people who consciously choose plant-based support. The range includes mother tinctures, homeopathic dilutions, complex remedies, food supplements (DE) and organic cosmetics.
All preparations are available in every pharmacy and specialist drugstore throughout Switzerland. In Germany, they are distributed via Ceres Heilmittel GmbH based in Kerpen.
What drives Ceres has remained unchanged: the conviction that medicinal plants are more than raw material suppliers — and that good medicinal products require time, dedication and professional expertise.