Rolf Beeler Maître Fromager
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Genuine and rare Swiss cheeses for the quality-conscious gourmet

It is perseverance pure: For almost 30 years now maître fromager Rolf Beeler leads the fight in his native country to support the high-quality, artisanal cheesemaking. He is quite successful and finds more and more listeners and contributors. The top Swiss gastronomy scene raves about his products, he is a common face in the media and has created a new consciousness for traditional Swiss hard cheeses. In order to accommodate the international clientele, Rolf Beeler introduced his SELECTION ROLF BEELER at the international Slow Food Show “Salone del Gusto” in Torino (Italy) in 1998. He personally selects all the cheeses, and they are accordingly affinated. The SELECTION ROLF BEELER is also available in Germany, Italy and the United States.

Cheese is Rolf Beelers passion. For 30 years his customers have lined up at his market booth in Lucerne, and he delivers to the top Swiss chefs, too. Gastronomy guides like "Gault Millau" as well as the newspapers and magazines praise the quality of his products. The tabloids call him "The Swiss Cheese Pope" or the "Rambo of the Aged Cheese".

All cheeses are handselected

From an economic point of view Rolf Beeler isn't a huge factor in the Swiss cheese industry. Beeler is a rather small cheesemonger. That is exactly the key to quality. He handselects the cheeses. Beeler knows a lot of very small dairies that work for him or with his recipes. Natural production is obvious, raw milk a must. Because raw milk cheeses are simply better and healthier, a product from mother nature that changes and gets better with age - just like fine wine.

Swiss raw milk cheeses that are pure in quality and taste have been Beeler's main concern for many years now. As a consequence, he cannot understand why the Emmentaler, once the flagship of Swiss cheeses, has lost almost all its appeal in the international market. Worse, the Emmentaler is usually on the market after an aging process of only seven months - which is much too short. And the fact that it is aged in a dry instead of a humid environment did not help, either. These procedures may save a lot of work, but the loss in taste is substantial.

Foreign demand increasing
The Emmentaler has the potential to be one of the best hard cheeses in the world. This is one of the reasons why it has been copied so many times. For many years, Rolf Beeler has been selling an Emmentaler that is aged a minimum of 16 to 18 months and kept in a humid environment. A true delicacy that shows you the "tears of joy" when you cut it, with a flavor that inspires the gourmets around the globe.

Parmigiano vs. Sbrinz

Even with the larger wheels, Rolf Beeler guarantees the quality and the unique flavor. Beside the Emmentaler he firmly believes in the Sbrinz: "A well-aged Sbrinz takes on every Parmigiano Reggiano, it has the more complex flavor and is less salty." And with a smile he adds: "Don't forget: For centuries, the Italians used to transport the Sbrinz over the Alps to Italy. Some while ago, they got tired of travelling and just copied the Sbrinz. Thus, the Parmigiano was born!"