Etivaz: the Rolls-Royce of Gruyère

Not many people know my favorite cheese: the Etivaz AOP.

Here is why you should try it. In the 1930s, Switzerland’s Gruyère producers were under pressure from government regulations that pushed for more standardized, industrialized cheese-making methods. These changes — like moving production to larger dairies and using more modern equipment — were intended to increase output and consistency.

But in the Vaud Alps, a group of about 76 traditional alpine cheesemakers felt that those rules would strip away the soul of their cheese:

• They refused to abandon their summer-only, high-altitude chalet production.

• They insisted on wood-fired copper cauldrons instead of factory vats.

• They wanted to keep using raw milk straight from cows grazing alpine pastures.

So, in 1932, they broke away from the Gruyère appellation and created their own cooperative in the village of L’Etivaz. They named their cheese after the village, and they wrote their own ultra-strict production rules to ensure the taste would stay exactly as it had for centuries.

That’s why Etivaz is often called the “Rolls Royce of Gruyère” — it’s not just high-quality, it’s the original driving experience before the “modern upgrades” softened things. Try it!