selection from world champions, Affinage in the Mountain for up to 24 months
Our Le Gruyère AOP cheeses are handcrafted by master cheesemakers in village and mountain dairies. Being named World Champion at the World Championship Cheese Contest, as well as at the World Cheese Awards, confirms the quality of our small but refined selection and affinage of what is perhaps the world’s most beloved cheese.
BLUME1
MICHAEL SPYCHER, 4-TIME WORLD CHAMPION
“Fritzenhaus is a Gruyère satellite dairy – maybe that’s why my Gruyère stands out from the crowd.”
“The mountain dairy Fritzenhaus, where I produce the Gruyère and Hornbacher with my wife and our team, belongs to the farmers. Our cheese dairy is an official Le Gruyère AOP cheese dairy, located a bit further away from the classic production area and is therefore also called a “satellite dairy”. Who knows, maybe that’s why our Gruyère stands out from the crowd.
I was awarded World Champion for the 4th time in 2024
BLUME2
MICHAEL HANKE
“My creativity and knowledge complete my passion”
“Growing up in a cheese-making family in the Allgäu, cheese-making is in my genes. Before I took over my own business, I wanted to learn from the best in every discipline. That’s why I worked in different companies – from small to industrial – in 5 different countries.
In my dairy in Combremont, I can continue to live my passion and bring all my acquired knowledge together.”
BLUME3
PIUS HITZ / URS LEUENBERGER
“in this cheese dairy we can meet our high standards.”
“Looking out of the window from the dairy, we can watch the cows of our milk suppliers grazing. They all graze within a radius of one kilometre. We can live our passion for cheese making here in this dreamlike environment and we are happy to be able to meet our high quality standards in this small cheese dairy.” Pius Hitz
Gruyère from Pius Hitz, Vorderfultigen mountain dairy, has won the World Cheese Awards 2025! We are proud to select Gruyère from this small mountain dairy for our mountain affinage and for specific customer reservations at another affineur, and to affinage it #AffinageInTheMountain – especially as this small cheese dairy has won the world championship title for the second time since 2022. Back then, it was with master cheesemaker Urs Leuenberger, who produced exclusively for Gourmino.
BLUME3
STORY
a popular cheese worldwide
Le Gruyère AOP, the unique cheese from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, tastes of delicate mountain flowers and wonderful alpine herbs that are typical for the region. Its history goes back to the year 1115: Already then, the milk from the picturesque villages of the Gruyère region was processed by the local cheesemakers into a remarkable product with a strong character.
BLUME4
MILD
| RAW INGREDIENTS: | fresh raw milk from dairy cows left to graze naturally (no silage). |
| AGE: | Mild – 6 Monate |
| FAT CONTENT: | 48% FDM, full-fat |
| WEIGHT PER WHEEL: | approx. 35 kg (70 lb) |
| TASTE: | Melted leeks, fresh corn and vanilla |
| COLOR OF THE RIND: | ivory color |
| TEXTURE: | soft, slightly moist, not very crumbly |
| CRYSTALS: | no |
SURCHOIX
| RAW INGREDIENTS: | fresh raw milk from dairy cows left to graze naturally (no silage). |
| FAT CONTENT: | 48% FDM, full-fat |
| WEIGHT PER WHEEL: | approx. 35 kg (70 lb) |
| AGE: | Surchoix, 12 months |
| TASTE: | stone fruits, boiled ham, chestnuts and vanilla |
| COLOR OF THE RIND: | ivory color |
| TEXTURE: | creamy curd, slightly crumbly |
| CRYSTALS: | yes |
RÉSERVE
| RAW INGREDIENTS: | fresh raw milk from dairy cows left to graze naturally (no silage). |
| FAT CONTENT: | 48% FDM, full-fat |
| WEIGHT PER WHEEL: | approx. 35 kg (70 lb) |
| AGE: | Réserve, from 15 months |
| TASTE: | roasted hazelnuts, cooked cream, savory broth, baked honey ham, vanilla |
| COLOR OF THE RIND: | ivory color |
| TEXTURE: | creamy curd, slightly crumbly |
| CRYSTALS: | yes |