10/22/2026
🧀 Meet L’Etivaz. 🏔️🇨🇭
Its story starts with Gruyère. For generations, the mountain cheese from the Pays-d’Enhaut region of Vaud, Switzerland, was called Gruyère. But in the 1930s, as Gruyère production modernized, a group of alpine cheesemakers refused to give up their old ways. In 1932, they broke away, formed their own cooperative, and named their cheese after the little village of L’Etivaz, where they still age the wheels today.
In 1999, L’Etivaz became the first Swiss cheese to earn AOC protection. It is a true reflection of a place, a history, and a tradition.
Their rules haven’t changed: they make cheese only in summer, from May to October, in mountain chalets.
They heat fresh raw milk in copper cauldrons over a wood fire, just as they have for centuries. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
That fire is the secret. It gives L’Etivaz a subtle smoky depth, layered over the rich, nutty, fruity flavors it shares with its Gruyère cousin, plus wildflower and herb notes from cows grazing high in the Alps. 🌼🐄
👨🌾 Meet the family behind our wheel.
Every year from May 10 to October 10, Frédéric Rosat, his wife and their three children move up to the Antheines Alp, about 1,430 meters up near the Col des Mosses pass. They care for 45 cows, milk them twice a day, and heat the fresh raw milk in a copper kettle over a wood fire. 🔥 The result? Just 2 wheels a day. 🧀
The family moves between three huts at different altitudes so the cows always have fresh grass and alpine flowers to graze. In 2014, Frédéric’s cheese won Best L’Etivaz at the Swiss Cheese Awards. 🏆
Expect savory broth, leeks, hazelnuts, cured meats, and a hint of toffee. Handmade by one family, one summer at a time. 🏔️
✨ Try it with a glass of crisp Swiss Chasselas, a few slices of pear, or shaved over a warm potato gratin.
Gruyère’s rebellious mountain cousin. Don’t miss it. 🏔️
