Our craftsmanship
What we need to produce wonderful cheese.
From the region
Excellent cheeses can only be produced using perfect milk. And our 70 suppliers are the very embodiment of this quality. They are local farmers who work close to nature between 700 and 1200 metres above sea level and who are like family to us. Each day, we collect the milk from the previous evening and early morning milking and process it within a few hours. Daily checks guarantee impeccable quality.
Our milk: natural and fresh
We only work with silage-free mountain milk. Our suppliers’ 1200 cows in total must spend at least 120 days a year out in the pasture, their feed must be 100 % local and the use of silage is forbidden. Every day, 7 days a week, we process over 50,000 litres of raw milk which we use to make 20 kinds of cheese as well as butter. Unlike pasteurised milk, raw milk is not always the same. Its taste varies according to the species of cow, the region, the vegetation and the season.
Traditional manufacturing with the latest infrastructure
Maturation
Before being sold, the cheese is left to mature completely for four months in our cellars, kept at constant temperature and humidity levels. Tête de Moine takes three months to mature, Tête de Moine Réserve four, and some specialty cheeses even longer. During the maturing process, the cheeses are rubbed with water once or twice a week.
Top quality
Spielhofer is renowned for its top quality across all products. The distinctions we regularly receive at national in international competitions illustrate this. The Swiss Cheese Award is one of them, as is the Mondiale du Fromage or the World Cheese Award, where 3472 cheeses from 41 different countries were presented in 2018, for example.
