Everything You Wanted to Know About Swiss Cheese

In Swiss-speak, the holes in cheese are called "eyes." They form during the ageing process when bacteria produce carbon dioxide gas, creating bubbles that become the characteristic round openings. A cheese with many well-formed eyes is considered a sign of quality craftsmanship — our Heidi Ann™ is famous for its beautiful lacey eye formation.

Swiss cheese begins with fresh, high-quality milk that is warmed and combined with starter cultures and rennet to form curds. The curds are cut, cooked, and pressed into moulds, then brined and moved to ageing caves or cellars. During ageing, the characteristic flavour and eye formation develop over weeks or months.

The distinctive sweet, nutty flavour of Swiss cheese comes from the specific bacterial cultures used during production, particularly Propionibacterium freudenreichii. These bacteria consume lactic acid and produce propionic acid and carbon dioxide — the propionic acid contributes to the nutty, sweet taste while the CO2 creates the eyes.

Swiss cheese is an excellent source of protein and calcium, and is naturally lower in sodium than many other cheeses. Our Oberlander™ brand was specifically developed as America's first healthier deli cheese, bringing the great taste of Swiss tradition together with a nutritional profile that supports a healthy lifestyle.

Each Berner loaf is produced individually using our Old World recipe — a tradition carried from Switzerland over 70 years ago. We never mass-produce or cut corners. The result is a cheese with consistent flavour, texture, and quality that our customers have trusted since 1975.

Wrap Swiss cheese tightly in wax paper or plastic wrap and store it in the coldest part of your refrigerator (around 35–40°F / 2–4°C). For best flavour, bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Properly stored, Swiss cheese will keep for 3–4 weeks after opening.