From milk to cheese

Professional cheese producers are careful to ensure that Swiss cheese is and remains a genuine product of nature.

So how are Swiss speciality cheeses actually made?

1. Warm the milk
First the milk is heated to approx. 30°C. Lactic acid bacteria (also known as lactobacilli) are then stirred into the milk. These help to give the cheese its flavour.

2. Add rennet
Diluted rennet is then added to the milk to help it to set.

3. Form the curds
Once the milk has reached a firm enough texture, the semi-solid mass is cut to form curds. These are then heated under constant stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking together.

4. Put into moulds
The cheese maker tests the firmness of the curds. As soon as the mixture has reached a stage called the "proper break" the curds are ladled into moulds.

5. Press
In the moulds the curds are pressed to form cheese truckles and turned on a regular basis. They are soaked in brine so the surface of the cheese obtains the perfect consistency.

6. Store and ripen
The speciality cheeses are carefully stored in a cheese cellar, where they develop their typical characteristics. Different cheeses will mature at different rates. Soft cheeses only require two to three weeks, while some hard cheeses can take up to three years to mature fully.