[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″ width=”100%”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”20px” text_line_height=”1.5em” text_font_size_tablet=”19px” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop”]The secret of Le Gruy\u00e8re AOP\u2019s unique flavour is raw milk from cows grazing in the alpine meadows and the skills of the cheese masters and cellar masters, passed down from generation to generation in family businesses. The AOP (\u201cAppellation d\u2019Origine Prot\u00e9g\u00e9e\u201d, \u201cProtected Designation of Origin\u201d) label tells you that the cheese is authentic Le Gruy\u00e8re, matured in a cellar for at least five months. The label is a sign of uncompromising Swiss quality in all stages of cheese production.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font_size=”20px” text_line_height=”1.5em” text_font_size_tablet=”19px” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop”]The secret of Le Gruy\u00e8re AOP\u2019s delicious flavour is unpasteurised cow\u2019s milk, the white gold of Switzerland. The cows graze on fresh grass and wild herbs, which give the raw milk its distinct and unique aroma.<\/b>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/gruyerestories.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ND_2020_GRU_Campaign-Nordics-2020_Lowres-76.jpg” title_text=”ND_2020_GRU_Campaign Nordics 2020_Lowres (76)” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.4.5″ width=”80%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” box_shadow_style=”preset3″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″ width=”100%”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/gruyerestories.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ND_2020_GRU_Campaign-Nordics-2020_Lowres-148.jpg” title_text=”ND_2020_GRU_Campaign Nordics 2020_Lowres (148)” _builder_version=”4.4.5″ box_shadow_style=”preset3″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.4.5″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ text_font=”||||||||” text_line_height=”1.5em” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop”]<\/p>\n
The Freiburg canton has about 2,200 dairy producers with about 25 cows each. The cows are milked twice a day: at six in the morning and after five in the evening. <\/p>\n
After the milking, the cows enjoy a meal. They graze on fresh grass in the summer and are provided with hay in the winter. They are given nothing else. Many milk producers cut the required grass while tending to the cows in summer. <\/p>\n
\n“The amount of hay we need is not exactly small, since one cow eats 70 kilograms of grass and drinks 50\u2013100 litres of water per day”<\/strong>, says Le Gruy\u00e8re AOP Alpage producer Alexandre Murith. Their alpine cowshed is home to 29 cows. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
To return the favour, each cow produces 20\u201325 litres of milk daily. The mountain cows provide slightly less milk than their sisters in the valley since the animals move about more in the mountains, and this affects the volume of milk. One kilogram of cheese requires ten litres of milk, which can be seen in the price. Producers are paid well for raw milk on a European level, since high-quality milk is the cornerstone of premium cheese. <\/p>\n
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Twice a day – every morning and evening – each milk producer delivers their valuable produce to the cheese dairy located no more than two kilometres away.<\/p>\n
One of the oldest local milk producers is Gilbert Janin, 90, who has arrived at the Fromagerie de M\u00e9zi\u00e8res dairy on his tractor. The tractor is carrying four traditional milk containers of 50 litres each.<\/p>\n
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