The Best of Swiss Grocery Stores: Coop

I am in this really fun Facebook group called “Around the World in a Year,” where every two weeks we “visit” another country and learn about it from people within the group who live there.  One of the things that always seems to fascinate everyone is a peek inside the local grocery store to see how it is different from where we each live. I think it’s always fun to see what new and different foods are offered around the world and I’ve noticed that each time we’ve had visitors so far they have wanted to come to the grocery store with me to see what it’s like!

While it’s fun to explore the new, it’s also been a challenge to find some of the foods and cooking supplies that I am “used to” having, figuring out alternatives and in some cases simply doing without or changing my recipe! For example, I was very reliant on canned chicken broth, which they do not sell here so I have to make my own.

Having said that, there are many awesome things to be found in Swiss grocery stores and I am still exploring all the options and learning about the ingredients and common recipes people make here. So, I’ve put together a list of my favorite finds (thus far!) in one of my local grocery stores, Coop!

Here are 6 of my favorite finds!

1. Year round you can find delicious Swiss apples in the grocery store and as a special surprise they are very nicely priced! Generally around $3.70-4.00 per kilo (which is about 2 pounds) so not bad at all for good, local apples. There are always plenty of varieties to choose from, too!

2. Local items! These jams are from a local farm, Jucker Farms, which is about 30 minutes from Zurich. I love that I can buy them right in my local store!

3. Pommes Duchesse! The babies can, in my mind, go ahead a replace every other potato product out there because they are amazing! Imagine nice mashed potatoes whipped up in a swirly shape with a crunchy outside like a french fry, kind of like a tater tot but 1,000 times better!

4. Super cheap mineralwasser with gas! The store brand bottles go for 25 cents per 1.5 liters! You will never find bottled water with gas that cheap in the U.S.! (if you do, let me know!)

5. And now we’ve made it to the chocolate aisle. Note I said, chocolate aisle, not candy aisle, because the chocolate gets it’s own special location and the other candy get lumped together on a separate aisle with tea or juice something else unrelated to candy. Chocolate gets it’s own special spot in the store and you can find every imaginable variety there! Honestly, if you’re traveling to Switzerland and want some chocolate for a souvenir, just head to the grocery store!

6. Last but not least are these, my new favorite cookies! They kind of taste like graham crackers with chocolate, although they aren’t exactly graham crackers! You can get them in milk or dark chocolate and they are just awesome! You can find them in other brands and stores, but the Coop store brand ones are my personal favorite!

So those are my top picks for now! Soon I’ll come up with a post with some of my favorites from the other major grocery store chain here, Migros, and other favorite finds!

So what do you think, do you like to check out the grocery store when you visit other countries? What’s been your favorite find so far?