Cheese Retailers April 2024

F or centuries, the cheesemakers behind Le Gruyère AOP have worked tirelessly and passionately to create one of Switzerlands best- loved exports. Created in the Western cantons of the country to stringent AOP standards, the cheese has become an icon for cheese lovers across the world. Le Gruyère AOP’s history stretches far beyond the creation of protected food accreditations, however, all the way back to 1115AD when the inhabitants of five neighbouring Swiss regions – Fribourg, Vaud, Jura, Bern and Neuchâtel – transformed the milk from their cattle into cheese. In 1762 the cheese gained its now-famous name, yet without the quality standards which were set to be established across Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the cheese was often imitated which led to lesser- quality wheels. Once its AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) credentials were established across Europe, the quality of Le Gruyère AOP never wavered – no wonder it’s one of the best-loved cheeses across the world. The 160 dairies and 55 Alpage (mountain pasture) dairies which produce Le Gruyère AOP play a vital role in maintaining the quality of the cheese. The accreditation requires that they uphold the rigid specifications set at every stage of the process – Le Gruyère AOP is the winner of numerous awards, and no wonder – its consistently unique and perfectly balanced flavour, as well as its production by skilled cheesemaking experts who utilise knowledge and techniques passed down the generations, means that this ancient cheese has become a modern-day icon of the cheese counter. Indeed, it is the only cheese that has won the title of Best Cheese in the World at theWorld Cheese Awards five times. AN AWARD- WINNING CHEESE CHEESE AFICIONADOS ACROSS THEWORLD ARE IMPRESSED BY LE GRUYÈRE AOP, AN ANCIENT CHEESEWHICH PERFECTLY SUITS MODERN-DAY PALATES specialityfoodmagazine.com 7