L’ETIVAZ AOP Private Collection
SENIOR
LE BON DU JURA
SPALEN
MILCHZAPFE HEIDA
CRESTA
GREEN FAIRY
GLARNER ALPKÄSE AOP FORMAGGIO D’ALPE PIORA AOP HOP ON TOP CEWETIE
CHAPEL HILL CH
SPITZEBÄRG GOAT
WE CLIMB TO NEW HEIGHTS MIFROMA PREMIUM is a line of only the finest cheeses made in Switzerland. We have sourced cheeses from all regions, of all milks and types. Cheeses that reflect craftmanship through taste and texture. Cheeses that show character and tell a story. You will happily listen.
Cheeses from Switzerland. Switzerland. Naturally.
www.cheesesfromswitzerland.com
PREMIUM
cEWEtie This cute little round won “Best Sheep Milk Cheese” at the Swiss Cheese Awards 2014 Franz Scheuber took a brave step when he
recipes and find out how to achieve consist-
decided to establish himself as a producer
ency in quality. Patience, big effort and an open
of high end niche products. Looking back, he
mind helped him. Meanwhile Scheuber and his
thinks he should have done it even earlier. And
team of five craft about 60,000 gallons of milk
the newest award proves him right.
a year into unique and surprising specialties. All milk is silage free and comes from twelve
There only were two choices after the Swiss
farms in a radius of no more than seven miles
government - just before the year 2000 - stopped
from his Fläcke (stain) dairy in Beromünster, a
to financially support producers of those classic
rural village between the lakes of Sempach and
cheeses it until then had tried to push: Either a
Baldegg, in the Lucerne canton.
cheese maker moved on and found a niche, or he prepared for his downfall. Scheuber refused
cEWEtie is made of thermized milk from Lacaune
to accept the second option and started to reori-
and Ostfriesen sheep. It is a semisoft, small
ent his business. The fact that not only cheese
shaped cheese with a smeared, dry rind and a
makers but also farmers were affected by the
complex paste with beautiful, very tiny holes.
sudden change of dairy politics resulted in a
The cheese tastes of almonds and nuts, and its
rapid growth of available sheep and goat milk.
slight sweetness makes it more elegant than
And that’s where Scheuber saw his chance.
powerful. According to the producer the cEWEtie by now has the profile he always wanted to see in
The years of learning and switching from work-
it. - The judges at the Swiss Cheese award agree:
ing with only cow milk weren’t easy. He had to
The little cutie (cEWEtie) was chosen as the best
get used to the different milks, come up with
sheep milk cheese made in Switzerland.
CEWETIE
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9909
PACK SIZE
2 x 2 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
2 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
4.85 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
10.23 x 10.23 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
8 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
41 - 43 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 90 days
INGREDIENTS
Sheep milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Semisoft cheese
DIAMETER
4.7 inches
PREMIUM
Chapel Hill, CH This cheese took its dairy up yet another notch Just like his father and before that his grand
located between St.Gallen and Zurich. A cheese
father, Christian Oberli had successfully been
also, that would let the high quality of the milk
making semisoft cheeses. When he decided to
shine through: None of the cow herds produc-
start working with unpasteurized milk, Chapel
ing milk for Oberli grazes more than 7 miles
Hill, CH took his reputation up to a new level.
away from the dairy. All milk is used straight away and not treated in any way.
Christian Oberli and his Käserei Rislen always have had a firm leg in the Swiss cheese landscape. His
The short hill literally starting at the back door
grandfather had founded the dairy and estab-
of his dairy appeared to Oberli like an omen
lished a solid quality level as well as clientele.
and he therefore decided to include it into the
After taking over the company from his Dad, Oberli
name of his new cheese: First off, there’s only
continued to do what he was used to and what all
one chapel, two farms and two cow herds up
three of them had been good at all this time: semi-
there, and part of the milk he uses for Chapel
soft cheeses from cow milk, pasteurized.
Hill comes from those herds. And secondly,
CHAPEL HILL, CH
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9903
PACK SIZE
1 x 8.8 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
8.8 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
9.25 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
10.23 x 10.23 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.19 cubic feet
TI/HI
8 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
38 - 40 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 120 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Semisoft cheese
DIAMETER
9.8 inches
the hill stood as a symbol of what the cheese And then came the day, on which Oberli decided
maker was about to achieve - to take a step up
to try his hands on raw milk. His vision was a
to the next and higher level.
cheese that was balanced, yet came with a little kick and a personality. A cheese that reflected
Chapel Hill has a surprisingly creamy paste
the silent beauty of the rich land around Rislen,
and complex flavors of herbs, grasses, hay and
a tiny hamlet outside of the village Rossrüti,
nuts. It is aged five months or more.
PREMIUM
Cresta Here, the term cave aged for once is not misused Cresta ripens underneath the healthy soil
The Cresta is a seasonal cheese only made
of the same named forest. And the natural
from October to May. During this time the
stone cave has turned out to be a perfect
five herds of cows that produce the organic
aging room.
milk for Cresta graze on the meadows surrounding Sufers, a village with less than
Of course there’s other cheeses that ripen in
130 inhabitants on 4,200 feet altitude. Sufers
cellars. But without a doubt there’s none other
is located in the Rheinwald region of the
than the Cresta that gets to age in a natural
Graubünden canton, not far from the Italian
stone cellar with an entrance hidden behind two
border and the Ticino canton.
metal doors of some governmental station, in the midst of a forest and directly underneath
Cresta has a fine and dry rind and a compact
a massive dam holding the water of Sufner See
paste with a creamy mouthfeel. Even though
(lake Sufers). The perfect conditions this cave
it could be enjoyed at a much earlier age,
offers for the cheeses - a steady humidity and
Zinsli likes to keep the Cresta in its spectacu-
constant temperatures between 44 and 48
lar cave at least a year. By then, the cheese
degrees Fahrenheit - makes, at least for producer
is full flavored and comes with that little kick
Dionis Zinsli, up for the inconvenience of bringing
that makes well matured mountain cheeses
the wheels down from his tiny dairy to the cellar.
so unique and charming.
CRESTA
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9907
PACK SIZE
1 x 22 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
22 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
11.5 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
13.38 x 13.38 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
6 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
36 - 38 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 300 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
10.6 inches
PREMIUM
Formaggio d’Alpe Piora AOP The most traditional cheese of Ticino - and the most imitated one No other canton in Switzerland produces more
altitudes between 6,000 and just under 7,000 ft.
different kinds of cheeses than Ticino. Yet every
and count as some of the richest and most unique
single one of the vast collection is crafted just
ones, growing herbs, flowers and grasses that
in the matter of the Formaggio d’Alpe Piora AOP,
can’t be found anywhere else. This lush land high
the role model for all.
up in the Leventina valley belongs to private folks. A corporation is in charge of the state of the art
FORMAGGIO D’ALPE PIORA AOP
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9912
PACK SIZE
1 x 15.4 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
15.4 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
15.9 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
10.23 x 10.23 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.19 cubic feet
TI/HI
8 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
36 - 38 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
On the fact sheet, nothing about the Formaggio
dairy built in 2005. The milk of the circa 260 brown
d’Alpe Piora AOP sounds exceptional. It is hand
cows grazing in the area throughout the summer
made in a traditional and simple way. The cows
are crafted into roughly 3,000 wheels, which are
graze on the abundant alpine pastures from the
distributed between the partaking farmers at
beginning of June until the end of September, and
the end of the alpine saison in accordance to the
the cheese is produced from that milk and during
amount of cattle they had up on Alpe Piora.
AGED
min. 120 days
of raw milk and with the use of one specific starter
Formaggio d’Alpe Piora AOP has to be aged at least
INGREDIENTS
culture. The Formaggio d’Alpe Piora AOP is aged,
two months but reaches its peak after a matura-
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
until the end of the alp season at least, right where
tion time of at least four to five months. It has a
it was made. As is the case with so many alpine
natural rind and a hard, very smooth paste with
cheeses, not only from Ticino, but in general.
some small holes. The flavors appear milky and
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
9.8 inches
that period of time exclusively. The cheese is made
sweet at once, and they remind one of rich cream, And yet, this cheese is more prestigeous than any
with herbaceous and aromatic, sometimes green
other from that region. The pastures on the larg-
notes. - A pure and precious delicacy. No wonder
est cheese producing alp of Ticino are located on
every one wants to copy it.
PREMIUM
Glarner Alpkäse AOP One cheese, countless variations Be alerted: This cheese only is for the flex-
centrifuges, no storing. Warming over wood
ible consumer. What you get when you order
fire, use of bacteria culture used for these
it can derive from different alps, at various
seasonal wheels exclusively. - The goal clearly
maturation levels, and in several flavor and
is to produce purest, most honest, highest
texture profiles. - How exciting for the ones
quality Alpage cheeses. And reach that target,
who don’t mind a little diversity!
these producers certainly do.
Glarus is one of the smallest and oldest cantons
Glarner Alpkäse AOP is a pressed cheese made
within Switzerland. It consists of an array of high
of raw cow milk. It gets washed with a simple
mountains and narrow valleys, plus a few small
brine during the first four weeks. After this
towns. Agriculture and transhumance - people
time the cheese makers bring the wheels down
moving with herds they tend to in accordance
to the communal cave where they receive their
with the seasons - still marks the lifestyle of so
further affinage. The cheese has a dry, brown
many of its inhabitants.
rind and an ivory to yellow paste with few
GLARNER ALPKÄSE AOP
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9911
PACK SIZE
1 x 15.4 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
15.4 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
15.9 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
13.38 x 13.38 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
6 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
36 - 38 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 120 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
11.8 inches
round holes. The flavors can vary from milky The Glarner Alpkäse only got its AOP status
mild with a hint of acidity all the way to vege-
in 2014. The restrictions Glarona - the coop
tal, herbaceous and hints of toast, depending
owned by the 27 Glarner Alpkäse AOP produc-
on the Alp the specific wheel was made at and
ers - came up with are stern and old fashioned.
the age it has. The cheeses become dryer and
No treating, heating or mixing of the milk, no
develop a nice little bite over time.
PREMIUM
Green Fairy Eye catcher and palate pleaser No, we won’t tell you that it is the fairy who
lands. The mixture of herbs is kept secret and
puts the herbs into this cheese. But fairies
can vary according to the seasons. And the
actually are involved in the making process.
ladies who grow, tend to, harvest, hand cut and finally bring the herbs to the dairy indeed
GREEN FAIRY
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9902
PACK SIZE
1 x 15.4 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
15.4 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
15.9 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
13.38 x 13.38 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
6 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
36 - 38 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
From the outside, the Green Fairy might just
are fairies. (Just ask the cheese makers.) -
look like so many other cheeses. Cut open
The milk is another reason the Green Fairy is
though, the story drifts into a completely
unique and precious. Only pure mountain milk
different direction. The hard paste is heavily
from the region surrounding Lenk, the village
spiked with tiny specks of herbs, lending it a
at the very far end of Simmental valley, is used
lively green hue. The first bite reveals that the
to make this cheese. So no long commutes, no
herbs are fresh - not dried - and of all different
frantic pumping. The milk gets straight from
kinds. Nothing gets stuck in one’s teeth, but
the cow to the dairy.
AGED
min. 60 days
notes - even coolness - left on the palate at the
The Green Fairy is made by Lenk Milch, a
INGREDIENTS
very finish of this milky-creamy experience.
corporation founded in 1999 with the goal to
Past. cow’s milk, alpine herbs, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
Rare deliciousness.
support and unite the local dairy farmers and CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
11 inches
there is a breeze of fresh, green, herbaceous
market their niche products professionally, The alpine herbs are organically grown in
so that they actually have a future and can
different areas of Berner Oberland (Bernese
keep the region’s tradition of cheese making
Alps), a region in which the flora still is much
alive. The wheels are aged between two and
more diverse and rich than down in the flat
three months.
PREMIUM
Heida This mountain cheese gets a royal treatment by the “best white wine in the world” Heida is one of the most highly regarded
That the Heida Barrique 2012 got honored as
white wines in the world. One cheese maker
“Best White Wine In the World” at the Interna-
uses this noble juice to refine his cheese.
tional Wine Challenge in London only helped.
HEIDA
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9908
PACK SIZE
1 x 15.4 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
15.4 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
15.9 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
13.38 x 13.38 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
6 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
36 - 38 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
Lack and inconvenience are not always bad. Not
So Heinzmann started to work on a Heida
for instance, when they guide people towards
cheese. He decided to not just wash the
creative solutions. - Like it was the case in
wheels with the wine but to let the yeasts in
Visperterminen, a village on 4,100 feet altitude
the grape must do some work as well. There-
in the rocky Wallis canton. Life and work aren’t
fore Heinzmann uses the Fine Yeast of the
easy in this area, and therefore, especially after
wine to influence not only the texture and
the industrialization, many people left. The few
flavor of the cheese, but to also develop a
who remained decided to work hard, put forces
wonderfully aromatic and darkish rind.
AGED
min. 300 days
Heida is a sturdy mountain cheese crafted of raw
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Semisoft cheese
DIAMETER
11.8 inches
together and make their lives better. One of them is cheese maker Nikolaus Heinz-
milk and tastes best after 10-12 months of aging,
mann. He realized that St.Jodern Kellerei, a
but matures gracefully up to 1 1/2 years. Under
vintners coop producing the prestigeous Heida
the impressive rind hides a compact inside that
wine - made of a Salvagnin grape wit the same
is smooth when younger and becomes more
name - had done a great job promoting the fact
dry and brittle over time. The flavors dance
that their vineyard was the one on highest alti-
between rustic and elegant, zingy and sweet. -
tude in all of Europe. People started to refer to
Heida is a marriage of two stars, and the delight
Visperterminen as Heida-Dorf (Heida Village).
when eating the cheese is according.
PREMIUM
Hop on Top When beer makes the difference Using beer to refine a cheese is no novelty.
noble affinage turn Hop on Top into a mighty
But the technique cheese maker Franz Renggli
fine cheese full of taste and character. But it
came up with truly is.
is the finishing touch that ultimately makes it special. Renggli coats the wheels with the dried
HOP ON TOP
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9913
PACK SIZE
1 x 10 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
10 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
10.4 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
10.23 x 10.23 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.19 cubic feet
TI/HI
8 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk, Gluten
Entlebuch, a vast area located between the
and ground remains of the beer barrel. Dark
city of Luzern and the Emmental region, not
and coarse the cheeses turn, with a big nose
only is well known for its cheeses but also for
of grain.
MOISTURE
36 - 38 %
Renggli, a young artisan always on the outlook
Hop on Top is produced of thermalized milk
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
to create unique and different cheeses, took
from cows grazing in the “Entlebuch Biosphäre”
advantage of this fact. Together with the folks
(bio sphere), a vast area protected by UNESCO
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
at the brewery in Entlebuch - a village named
because of its wholesomeness and role model
AGED
min. 120 days
just like the entire region - he developed a
status. The meadows are considered mountain
cheese that combines both the creaminess so
land, some are located above 3,000 feet. Reng-
INGREDIENTS
typical for all of Renggli’s cheeses as well as
gli’s dairy can be found high above the village
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt enzymes
the robust, earthy flavors of beer.
of Schüpfheim, to which it belongs, on 2,800 CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
9.8 inches
the production of grains and, thus, beer. Franz
feet elevation. 16 farmers working and living To wash a cheese with beer during its ripening
within a diameter of 2.5 miles deliver slightly
time certainly isn’t new. Yet, five months of this
over 900 gallons of milk daily.
PREMIUM
Le Bon du Jura An organic cheese from the rolling hills of Jura What happens when simply perfect milk gets
region is famous for are reflected in its rich
into the cauldrons of two passionate crafts-
and aromatic cheeses.
LE BON DU JURA
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9914
PACK SIZE
1 x 15.4 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
15.4 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
15.9 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
13.38 x 13.38 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
6 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
35 - 37 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 180 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
12.6 inches
men? A wonderful cheese like the Le Bon du Jura is born.
The producer pair has been playing with both recipes and affinage for almost two years before
They deeply love the Gruyère they make. They
they arrived at what now is the gorgeous Le Bon
also are proud of their Raclettes, soft ripened
du Jura (“The Good of Jura”). This is cheese with
and washed rind cheeses. Oh, and their yogurt
a character, it comes with a bite and a soft edge
and wonderful butters. - But then there is Le Bon
at the same time. There are notes of hazelnuts,
du Jura. And that’s when Hans-Peter Furrer’s
caramel and cream, and the aromas remind of
and Willi Berger’s eyes really light up.
barns and sweet smelling cheese aging rooms. The finish is nicely balanced, long and round. Le
This hard cheese is made of organic cow milk
Bon du Jura has a reddish-brown rind from the
delivered daily by a dozen farmers spread
8 months long washing, and an ivory colored,
throughout the Ajoye, the lovely region liter-
firm yet smooth paste with few small holes
ally leading from the backyard of Furrer’s
every here and there. It is a perfect munching
and Berger’s Fromagerie des Reussilles up
cheese and very versatile for pairing with wines
and down the soft hills of the Bernese Jura.
and beers, but also has a great melting ability. -
The lush grass and ubiquitous pine trees this
Fondue, any one?
PREMIUM
L’Etivaz AOP Private Collection The “crème de la crème” of a precious cheese - just for you Not all L’Etivaz AOP is the same, and that’s the
AOP from the milk of 68 cows. The raw milk cheese
beauty about it. We found that even more beautiful
appears complex in tastes, aromas and textures,
would be to consistently get the best one. That’s
yet is very easy to eat. There is sweetness and
how L’Etivaz AOP Private Collection was born.
salt, creaminess and crunch, the perfect hint of lovely acidity and green notes. Descriptions like
Most probably you never have had a mediocre
clean, fresh and crisp come to mind, and taking
L’Etvaz AOP. This is a top notch seasonal and alpine
in account the genuinity and floral richness on
cheese, taken care of by a role model coop that
those alps, they only make sense.
early on has demonstrated a sense for taking great care of not only the product but also its marketing.
The roots of L’Etivaz AOP reach back to the 12th
What could then be even better than L’Etivaz AOP?
century. 1932 the coop of L’Etivaz Alpine Cheese
To enjoy the wheels from only one and the same
Producers was founded, and only two years
producer exclusively, we thought. So we chose
later - with the target to optimize the quality of
our favorite cheese - who turned out to be one
the cheese and its commercialization - the first
judged with the maximum score of 20 points - and
communal aging cellar was constructed. In the
the folks from the coop gave us their blessings to
meantime the building counts four caves and is
name it L’Etivaz AOP Private Collection.
able to hold 30,000 wheels. In 2000 L’Etivaz was the first cheese to receive AOP status in Switzer-
It is made on Alp Grand Ayerne, 4,500 ft. above
land. Until this day 72 families still move up to the
sea level, in the L’Hongrin area of the lush Pays
Alps of Pays d’Enhaut in order to produce L’Etivaz
d’Enhaut (Vaud canton). In a chalet built in the
AOP in the 130 remaining chalets situated on alti-
year 1900, René-Maurice Lenoir crafts his L’Etivaz
tudes between 3,000 and 6,000 feet.
L’ETIVAZ AOP PRIVATE COLLECTION
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9905
PACK SIZE
1 x 66 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
66 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
66.6 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
23.62 x 23.62 x 4.72 inches
CASE CUBE
1.75 cubic feet
TI/HI
4x4
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
35 - 36 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 210 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
23.6 inches
PREMIUM
Milchzapfe First was the idea. Then came a long phase of experimenting. And now we can enjoy a cheese that looks like a cured sausage. He loves all kinds of cured meats. So much,
Which leads to the next question: What does it
that he decided to create a cheese that looks
take to create a rind that looks like the casing of
just like a big link of salami. And the first sight
a cured sausage? To put it roughly again: It takes
makes clear: Cheese maker Roli Rüegg did a
a very specific bacterial flora. After many failures
fantastic job.
and lots of expensive pig feed, as he describes it, the young cheese maker finally found the perfect
No cheese is easy to make. Each craftsman will
aging room: A natural argillite cave with naturally
confirm that. But not all cheeses are identically
high humidity in the village of Saland. Over time
tricky to produce. Roli Rüegg will insist on this
this environment lets the cheese grow a thick,
fact. - First there is the problem with the shape.
velvety, white to grayish rind.
While most cheeses might be round, not many are cylindrical. So how does one get a sausage
Milchzapfe is made of raw cow milk and reaches
shaped cheese? Well, let’s put it this way: At birth,
its peak after about five months of aging. It is
the Milchzapfe is a rectangle. On the second day it
piquant in taste without being sharp or aggres-
is pressed through a round tube, hand patted into
sive. The best way to enjoy this cheese is to put
its unique form and clad in a salami net. And this
it - with the rind on - onto a Girolle and curl it
way it goes on a hook in the aging cellar, in order
into tiny rosettes, or to cut it paper thin on a
to mature and develop its beautiful rind.
meat slicer. Which will not surprise anybody…
MILCHZAPFE
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9910
PACK SIZE
2 x 4.8 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
4.8 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
10.6 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
10.23 x 10.23 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.19 cubic feet
TI/HI
8 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
27 - 30 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 120 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
9.8 inches
PREMIUM
Senior Only the very best wheels get honored with this name The term senior not only is related to age. It
the Rigi - or better: Senior - comes after three
also suggests a certain level of recognition and
months in the aging facility in nearby Brunnen.
respect. And in the case of this cheese it means
At this point Reichmuth and his crew taste and
the highest step on the ladder of quality.
judge the cheeses and decide which wheels are destined to become Seniors. Only those
Erich Reichmuth treats his cheeses like
cheeses who show all the qualities it takes to
humans. He admits that each single one has its
mature into sheer perfection are chosen. And
character and individuality. And that not each
from thus on called Senior.
one is driven by the same purpose. - So when the Senior actually is born, Reichmuth and his
Senior is made of pasteurized cow milk
team don’t call it this name yet. Nor do they
produced by herds grazing in the close vicin-
know which specific or how many wheels of
ity of Rigi and the famous Rütli meadow,
that one batch indeed will become Seniors.
where Switzerland more than 720 years ago was founded. The cheese has a very smooth
At birth, this cheese is simply called Rigi, refer-
paste and stays extremely creamy even after
ring to the big, beautiful mountain towering
7 months of aging or more. The flavors are
Schwyz, a small town in the historically very
robust and rustic, with notes of grasses, herbs
important Urschweiz (original Switzerland),
and burnt sugar. A cheese that truly deserves
where it is made. The moment of truth for
its name - and recognition.
SENIOR
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9901
PACK SIZE
1 x 13.2 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
13.2 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
13.66 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
13.38 x 13.38 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.33 cubic feet
TI/HI
6 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
34 - 36 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 200 days
INGREDIENTS
Past. cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard cheese
DIAMETER
11.8 inches
PREMIUM
Spalen The wooden barrels in which it used to be transported gave this mighty cheese its name The people from central Switzerland demon-
Spalen. Almost. - Nowadays young Sbrinz is
strated a sense for business very early on.
called Spalen, Sbrinz that has not reached the
Already during the Middle Age they migrated
maturing age of eleven months yet. At this
over the Alps down to Italy in order to sell their
point, the cheese gets its first inspection, and
cattle. And a certain cheese called Spalen.
from then on has to be called Sbrinz AOP.
It was not an easy task to bring the Spalen to
Spalen is very traditional in the Nid- and
Italy. Already back then the cheese was larger in
Obwalden cantons, although technically it can
size than most, very compact and heavy. But it
be produced where ever Sbrinz can. Spalen
was well worth to pack it into wood barrels and
is shaped like a tall drum and can weigh
on mules’ or cows’ backs. Especially the north-
anywhere from 50 to 80 pounds. Its rind is fine
ern Italians absolutely loved the Spalen and so
and oily, the paste hard with an elasticity and
it brought good money, sometimes a little free
no single hole. Crafted of raw and whole cow
wine and - in the best case - the sale of a cow.
milk, it tastes of sweet cream, grasses and milk.
SPALEN
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9904
PACK SIZE
1 x 77 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
77 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
77.6 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
23.62 x 23.62 x 21.65 inches
CASE CUBE
7 cubic feet
TI/HI
4x2
ALLERGENS
Milk
MOISTURE
30 - 32 %
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
AGED
min. 270 days
INGREDIENTS
Cow’s milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
CHEESE TYPE
Hard grating cheese
DIAMETER
21.6 inches
And even though the cheese is very firm, it has Over time, more convenient ways of travel
a smooth and charming texture.
made the tedious, several days long trips unnecessary. The Spalen slowly mutated
Not only were they good in doing business,
into the Sbrinz. Sbrinz was nominated an
these central Swiss, they also were and still are
AOP cheese. And people tended to forget the
great cheese producers.
PREMIUM
SPITZEBÄRG GOAT
WHEEL
ITEM NUMBER
9906
PACK SIZE
1 x 4.4 lbs
AVG. NET WT.
4.4 lbs
AVG. GROSS WT.
4.85 lbs
CASE (L x W x H)
10.23 x 10.23 x 3.14 inches
CASE CUBE
0.19 cubic feet
TI/HI
8 x 10
ALLERGENS
Milk
made of goat and sheep milk.
MOISTURE
39 - 41 %
stands as a hamlet above Langnau, the (unof-
The Spitzebärg Goat is named after the steep
pH LEVEL
6.0 - 6.6
ficial) capital of the Emmental region. It thus
hill Gohl is located at. The semisoft, only 4
comes to no surprise that all the cheeses Hans
lbs weighing cheese is pasteurized, has a
WATER ACTIVITY
0.92 - 0.96
Guggisberg, the meanwhile retired owner, used
smeared rind and a dense, smooth paste
AGED
min. 60 days
to craft were massive wheels of Emmentaler.
that sometimes shows tiny holes. It can be
Until the day that is, some 40 years ago, when
consumed between the young age of six weeks
INGREDIENTS
a neighbor brought him milk from one pet goat
and up to four, five months, when the flavors
Past. goat’s milk, herbs, cheese culture, salt, enzymes
he had gifted his kids with.
are pronouncedly goaty, yet still noble and CHEESE TYPE
Semisoft cheese
DIAMETER
7.9 inches
Spitzebärg Goat How a classic Emmentaler producer ended up making tiny goat cheeses What does a cheese maker do when a neigh-
fresh goat cheeses. Almost three decades later,
bor shows up with a bucket full of goat milk?
when son Samuel took over from his Dad, he
He invents a new cheese. And what does the
decided to go the interesting route rather than
son of a cheese maker do after he takes over
the known one and try new things. He resigned
the operation? He dumps the tradition and
from his contract with the Emmentaler organi-
produces nothing but new cheeses.
sation and instead started to create novelties
Gohl, where the Guggisberg dairy is situated,
balanced. - The Spitzebärg Goat is a perfect This little incident marked the start of a new
example that tiny does not mean minor. And
area. Guggisberg bought additional goat milk
that breaking out of a system can be refresh-
and began producing small batches of simple,
ing and enlightening.