Speciality Food Inspirational Cheese Retailers 2025

F or centuries, the cheesemakers behind Le Gruyère AOP have worked tirelessly and passionately to create one of Switzerland’s best-loved exports. Produced 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 19th and 20th 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. The 160 dairies and 55 Alpage (mountain pasture) dairies which produce Le Gruyère AOP play a vital role in its enduring appeal. Accreditation requires that they uphold the rigid specifications set at every stage of the process – from the production of the milk used to make the cheese, to its ageing – in order to maintain the internationally- renowned flavour and 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, mean 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 AS INTEREST IN ALPINE CHEESES CONTINUES TO SOAR, NO COUNTER SHOULD BEWITHOUT LE GRUYÈRE AOP specialityfoodmagazine.com 7