Swiss Cheese Awards 2024

Swiss cheese is as much a part of Switzerland as watches, chocolate and tourism. Every two years, the Swiss cheese world comes together for the Swiss Cheese Awards. Over 1000 different Swiss cheeses in more than 30 categories are tasted and appraised by 200 expert judges based on certain defined criteria. Ultimately, a ‘super-jury’ will select the three Swiss champions from all categories.

The Swiss Champions 2024

Swiss Champion extra hard & hard cheese

Le Gruyère AOP

Markus Sturny, Käserei Lanthen

Swiss Champion semi-hard cheese

Le Brigand du Jorat

Muhamet Lekiqi & Renaud Freymond, Fromagerie de Saint-Cierges SA

Swiss Champion soft & fresh cheese

Vacherin Mont d’Or AOP

Serge André, Fromagerie André SA, Romanel-sur-Morges

Winners of the cheese board competition

1st rank

Vauthey Manon, Cugy

2nd rank

Sercomanens Alicia, Vucherens

3rd rank

Wenger Franziska, Cortébert

The category winners

Emmentaler AOP

Albert & Silvio Schöpfer, Käse vom Schöpfer AG

Le Gruyère AOP

Markus Sturny, Käserei Lanthen

Le Gruyère d'Alpage AOP

Hans & Stefan König, Alpage La Vathia

Sbrinz AOP

Pirmin Dörig, Käserei Bürg GmbH

Appenzeller

Urs Buchegger, Emmi Schweiz AG

Raw milk Tilsiter

Joel Schirmer, Bio Käserei Maseltrangen AG

Bündner Bergkäse

Andreas Grob, Cascharia Breil/Brigels GmbH

Raclette du Valais AOP

Frédéric Stalder, La Ferme à Gaby

Raclette & Bratkäse (without flavouring additives)

Grégory Maisonneuve, Fromagerie Maisonneuve SA

Raclette cheese with flavouring additives

Dominik Schmidt, Milchmanufaktur Einsiedeln AG

Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP

Christophe Lauper, Fromagerie de Grangettes

Vacherin Mont d'Or AOP

Serge André, Fromagerie André SA

Tête de Moine AOP

Menno Amstutz, Fromagerie Amstutz SA

Bloderkäse and Sauerkäse AOP

Rolf Habegger, H. & R. Habegger AG

L'Etivaz AOP

Sébastien Nicolier, Alpage Cray-du-Milieu

Berner Alp- and Hobelkäse AOP

Werner Bühler-Blum, Oberstockenalp

Formaggio d'Alpe ticinese DOP

Danilo Peter, Alpe di Fortunei

Glarner Alpkäse AOP

Martin Heiz, Alp Deyen

Other semi-hard cheeses with a wheel size of at least 3 kg (without flavouring additives)

Renaud Freymond, Fromagerie de Saint-Cierges SA

Other semi-hard cheeses with a wheel size of less than 3 kg (without flavouring additives)

Christa Egli, Chäsi Girenbad

Semi-hard cheese with a wheel size of at least 3 kg with flavouring additives

Louis Bérard, Laiterie-Fromagerie Chavannes-les-Forts

Semi-hard cheese with a wheel size of less than 3 kg with flavouring additives

Reto Güntensperger, Güntensperger Käse AG

Other hard and extra hard cheeses

Marc-André Girardin, Fromagerie de la Suze SA

Soft cheese white mould

Fromages Spielhofer SA

Soft cheese lubricated

Nicolas Schmoutz, Fromagerie Régionale de Mézières

Cream cheese

Mathias Koch, Appenzeller Ziegenprodukte AG

Blue cheese

George Hofstetter, BIO Genuss Käserei Hofstetter GmbH

Extra hard, hard and semi-hard sheep's cheese

Beat Meier, Käserei Berglinde

Sheep's cheese Soft and fresh cheese

Daniela & Peter Schneider, Käserei Bettswil

Extra-hard, hard and semi-hard goat's cheese

Koni Schuppli, Schupplis Geisse Chäsi

Goat's cheese Soft and fresh cheese

Agnès Spielhofer Beroud, O'Lait Sàrl

Cheese innovations

Patrick Odermatt, Odermatt Käserei AG

Swiss Cheese Awards 2024

Swiss cheese is as much a part of Switzerland as watches, chocolate and tourism. Every two years, the Swiss cheese world comes together for the Swiss Cheese Awards. Over 1000 different Swiss cheeses in more than 30 categories are tasted and appraised by 200 expert judges based on certain defined criteria. Ultimately, a ‘super-jury’ will select the three Swiss champions from all categories.

Get to know the contenders

Here we present 11 cheesemakers who will be trying their luck at the Swiss Cheese Awards 2024. They offer insights into the many different facets of their work and reveal the passion with which they pursue their craft.

Portraits posted periodically online from 1 May 2024

Giacomo Esposto

“You have to get to know the milk first in order to create the best product from it.”

More about Giacomo
Niklaus Walker

“You have to get to know the milk first in order to create the best product from it.”

More about Niklaus
Louis-Alexandre Yerly

“What does cheese mean to me? Cheese is life!”

More about Louis-Alexandre
Arnaud Guichard

“Every time we make cheese, it has to be with a great deal of love and passion.”

More to Arnaud
Martin Flüeler

“There is no trick of the trade. There’s really only one thing that makes good cheese: passion.”

More about Martin
Noemi Decurtins

“You see the initial product, you see the end product, and you experience the food.”

More about Noemi
Roland Rüegg

“When knowledge is shared, it multiplies. If you share an apple, you just get half each.”

More about Roland
Silvio Schöpfer

“We almost fight over who gets to make the cheese on Sundays.”

More about Silvio
Marc-André Girardin

“From one milk you can make 1000 varieties of cheese.”

More about Marc-André
Pirmin Koster

“The best thing about my job is that you’re making a product that is very close to nature.”

More about Pirmin
Daniela Weber

“If you put a Gruyère from four different cheese dairies next to each other and taste them, none of them taste the same. And I find that fascinating.”

More about Daniela