Switzerland crowns three cheese champions, celebrating a craft that combines tradition with commercial ambition.
The Swiss take cheese seriously. So seriously, in fact, that choosing the country’s finest requires more than 200 judges, over 1,000 contenders and an expert panel to settle the final scores. At the 14th Swiss Cheese Awards in Fribourg, three cheesemakers emerged with the highest honours.
The competition attracted a record 1,177 entries. Nicolas Brodard, of the La Guignarde alpine dairy in Corbières, canton Fribourg, won the hard-cheese championship with his Gruyère d’alpage AOP. The semi-hard title went to Marc-André Girardin, of the Fromagerie de la Suze in Corgémont, canton Bern, for his Tête de Moine AOP. Arnaud Guichard, of the Fromagerie Fleurette in Rougemont, canton Vaud, took the soft-cheese prize for his Tomme Fleurette, reported LFM radio.
The winners illustrate Switzerland’s cheesemaking diversity. Gruyère d’alpage embodies the tradition of producing cheese on mountain pastures. Tête de Moine, a protected regional speciality traditionally shaved into delicate rosettes, has roots stretching back to medieval monastic production. Tomme Fleurette demonstrates that smaller regional specialities can compete with the country’s most established cheeses.
An international jury of 203 specialists evaluated the entries, with a 32-member super-jury selecting the three national champions. Other honours went to Fritz Baumgartner of Trub, canton Bern, for cheesemaking butter, and Sarah Girardin of Bourrignon, canton Jura, for the finest cheese platter.
More than a matter of taste
The awards reveal something distinctive about Swiss food production: the marriage of regional identity and national standards. Protected designations of origin, known as AOP, preserve traditional methods and geographical provenance while helping producers command recognition in competitive markets.
Yet tradition brings challenges. Strict production rules safeguard authenticity but can stifle innovation. Smaller dairies face rising costs, shifting consumer tastes and competition from industrial producers. Awards bring prestige and publicity, but medals alone cannot guarantee prosperity.
Protection abroad is another headache. In the United States, courts have ruled that “Gruyere” is a generic cheese name rather than a protected geographical brand, allowing American producers to sell their own versions under the same name. For Swiss cheesemakers, whose reputation rests partly on provenance, such decisions threaten a valuable commercial distinction.
Fribourg, home to both Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois, was a fitting host. The festivities conclude with a public cheese market on October 10th and 11th, bringing producers and consumers together in the historic Bourg district.
For Switzerland’s artisan cheesemakers, the competition is more than a contest of flavour. It is a showcase for an industry whose commercial future depends as much on provenance and craftsmanship as on quality.
The champions will return to their dairies with medals and bragging rights. Their challenge now is to turn recognition into lasting demand. In Swiss cheesemaking, as in much else, reputation takes years to mature.
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