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Behind every profession is a person, a human being with a story. In an ultra-connected world shaped by constant technological change, especially with the rise of AI, it is essential to remember the importance of the human element.
In this series of articles, discover the journey, choices and commitment of those who have turned their profession into a true vocation in Luxembourg.
"I like getting to know people and seeing children smile. If I see a smile, then I’ve succeeded. Making good products and selling them with a smile, a hello and a goodbye. That’s the foundation of the profession." - Jérôme Zellweger, owner of Confiserie Coné.
A family story
Jérôme Zellweger was born in 1975, it was also during that same year that his parents bought Confiserie Coné. He comes from a family of fairground stallholders spanning six generations and has always grown up in this environment. Before purchasing the confectionery business, his family attended fairs with other attractions, such as a carousel, a shooting gallery, a lottery stand and even a hall of mirrors. The business had different functions at different times before finding the activity that has defined it for more than 50 years. Then, in 1996, at the age of 21, Jérôme took over the family business, of which he remains the owner today. He explains why he decided to keep the original name after taking over the confectionery business:
"We have always kept the original style because it brought us luck and attracted customers. 80% of our customers are loyal regulars."
The confectionery stand at the Schueberfouer
A passion-driven profession with varied daily responsibilities
Jérôme’s profession requires him to wear many hats and carry out very different tasks. First and foremost, he is a confectioner and makes most of his products by hand. The confectionery sells a wide range of sweet treats such as sweets, nougat, peanuts, almonds and roasted hazelnuts, candy floss and many other delicacies to discover at his stand.
"My profession is confectioner. I love sweet things, I love creating. My wife works with chocolate, and we make our own ice cream. We also travel to other countries looking for inspiration, discovering new creations and new machinery. Everything I do is artisanal. I have my small workshop in Bertrange where I make my sweets, nougat, peanuts, almonds..."
Like the most famous confectioner of all time, travelling is also a source of inspiration for Jérôme and his wife:
“I went to Loompaland in search of new exotic flavours for my sweets. Instead… I found the Oompa-Loompas.” - Willy Wonka, famous confectioner from the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka character in the 1971 film adaptation of the novel
After years of producing products directly at his stand during fairs and events, Jérôme decided to move production to a permanent workshop in order to have better control over production quality.
"We used to make everything here on site, but we had so many problems with wasps, dust and so on... so now I make everything at home. We produce a lot of different things. It also depends on the weather. If there’s humidity, it’s not ideal for sugar. When it’s warm, it’s good weather for making sweets and candy floss. For nougat, I prefer a little more humidity, not too much, but around 40-50%."
Jérôme’s profession also means staying in close contact with customers and selling his products at the events he attends. He shares how he feels about it: "I’m a stallholder, I enjoy business, meeting people and travelling all over Luxembourg."
Each year, he travels to many events across the country to reconnect with his loyal customers. At funfairs and Christmas markets, he carefully chooses the events he attends to preserve time for his artisanal production. The confectionery travels only within Luxembourg, although it has received invitations from elsewhere that had to be declined for logistical reasons. Jérôme has, for example, been invited to Nancy and Munich, but had to refuse because transporting his stand over such distances is very complicated. The vehicle he uses is a slow and old vehicle that cannot travel on motorways. He would therefore have had to transport it by train, which would have made the journey much more complicated. He would also have missed important events in Luxembourg, which was not ideal as he owns only one stand.
But that is not all. As a showman and business owner, he also has to handle a variety of different responsibilities. In addition to the administrative work, which plays a major role in obtaining permission to exhibit at these events, Jérôme must also become a manual worker when it comes to assembling his stand. The confectionery stand takes several hours to put together, during which he is never afraid to roll up his sleeves.
Jérôme on the roof while assembling his stand
To do this profession, Jérôme explains that above all you need to be passionate, and that there can be challenging times:
"Passion, absolutely. That’s what I tell my daughter, who wants to take over the business. There are times when it’s tough. I also saw my parents struggle during periods of major fairs. We are very dependent on the weather. If it rains, nobody comes, and if it’s too hot, that’s not good either."
A historic presence at the Schueberfouer
Confiserie Coné is an institution of the Schueberfouer. Its stand is colourful, located near the main entrance, and gives off a sweet scent of caramel. While the earliest photos of the confectionery at the fair date back to 1915, Jérôme explains that it may have been present much earlier. Historians suggest that Lambert Coné may already have been attending the fair in 1875.
Jérôme himself has been coming to the Schueberfouer all his life. He knows most of the stallholders and looks forward to seeing them again every year.
"Sometimes we don’t see certain people for two or three years. I have one colleague, for example, whom I hadn’t seen for seven years. He has already sent me a message suggesting we go for a drink because he’s back. My greatest pleasure is really seeing the other stallholders and my customers again every year at the Schueberfouer."
He also shared one of his fondest memories of the fair:
"When I was young, with the Luxembourgish showmen, we used to go on a tour of the fair that lasted one or two hours. We went from ride to ride and, because everyone knew us, we got free rides. It was a wonderful time."
But make no mistake, the Schueberfouer is above all the biggest event of the year for Confiserie Coné. It requires a huge amount of work and excellent organisation in order to make the most of this period.
"When I’m working, I stay focused on my work. My colleagues are always asking me to join them for a drink, but I have to refuse most of the time. If I leave my stand for 30 minutes, I could miss a loyal customer and risk disappointing them. Of course, I still need to eat from time to time, but when I do the 20 days of the Schueberfouer, I give it everything I’ve got."
The Schueberfouer is an integral part of Luxembourg’s history. Every year, it welcomes more than 2 million visitors, nearly three times the country’s population. It is an unmissable event for many people, thanks in particular to stallholders like Jérôme, who bring it to life through their expertise and experience. He would also like to share a message with this year’s visitors:
"To all visitors of the Schueberfouer 2026, I wish you wonderful moments and plenty of enjoyment. Make the most of it. To all the colleagues who will be there, it’s a tremendous amount of work, a whole year of preparation, and it’s not easy in this heatwave. So I wish everyone a fantastic time and a very happy Schueberfouer!"
Has this story inspired you? Why not share your own journey and help shine a light on the often-overlooked realities of your profession? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch at communication@moovijob.com.