Le Gruyère D'Alpage AOP

Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP is produced from mid-May to mid-October on the mountain pastures. Fine, tangy and fruity, with a more or less salty note, it owes its typical taste to the great variety of pastures and alpine flora, as well as to the first-rate raw milk of the cows. Its taste varies according to its age.

An ancestral tradition

In accordance with tradition, Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP is heated over a wood fire and pressed in its cloth as it leaves the cauldron. Its wheel is slightly smaller, about 25kg.  

The « désalpe »

In the early autumn, the mountain farmers and their cows return to the plain. This descent from the mountain pasture is called the “désalpe” and is celebrated with distinction.

The mountain cheese dairies

Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP is made in only about fifty chalets, spread over the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud and Bernese Jura (57 mountain pastures). Each chalet has its own specificity thanks to its altitude, its slope, its flora and the know-how of the cheesemaker. It is this diversity that gives Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP its charm.