History of Gruyère AOC

On 21st February 1342 when the village of Gruyere was granted the so-called Ohmgeld, a duty imposed on wine, the tax to be paid on butter and cheese was fixed. Gruyere cheese was being exported to the markets of Vevey and Geneva. Owing to better road systems the cheese was later found in market places as far away as Lyon, Paris and Italy.

Up to the end of the 15th century the territory of the area was dominated by the Earls of Gruyere, a feudal and well-known family, and vassal of the House of Savoy. For a century there were hardly any documents or news about the cheese. The cheese trade did not seem to have encountered any major obstacles at that time.

At the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) exports of Gruyere cheese were soaring and the state of Fribourg implemented the first protection measures. During that period of time preliminary steps to protect the origin of products were being taken.

In 1740 tradesmen submitted a request to the notables of Fribourg suggesting a "G" label for Gruyere cheeses of quality (produced in the alpine foothills). In those days the production of Gruyere cheese was estimated to be between 25,000 and 30,000 quintals or 2,500 to 3,000 tons.

In 1762 l'Académie Française added the word Gruyere to its dictionary and described it as a kind of cheese made in Gruyere.

In 1764 the government of Fribourg granted the cheese traders and exporters the permission to mark their cheeses stored in the village of Gruyere with the seal of the crane in return of government taxes. This procedure continued up to 1798.

The 18th and 19th centuries were difficult times. The canton of Fribourg was "exporting" its human resources since people were lured away by higher wages in the canton of Vaud and Neuchâtel, in the Savoy area, in Franche-Compté and the Jura.