How Swiss Cheese is Made

Swiss cheese gets its distinctive holes, smell, texture and flavor from a trio of bacteria mixed with cow’s milk. Don’t get grossed out — some bacteria is good for you! Similar to the bacteria found in yogurt and milk, the bacteria found in Swiss cheese actually works with your body’s immune system and is part of the reason cheese tastes so good!

Producing curds is one of the first steps in making Swiss cheese. We start with fresh milk that is brought in by the truckload multiple times each day. Curds form when the good bacteria is combined with milk and heated. We take those curds and soak them in brine, a salt and water solution. During the soaking process, the cheese absorbs the salt and releases water. At the same time, the bacteria expands and releases carbon dioxide, which creates all of those holes that make Swiss cheese famous. The cheese is heated and cooled multiple times throughout the process. We know the cheese is ready to be processed and inspected when various dime-sized holes – called “eyes” in the business – are present in a sample.

We have the whole process down to a science to ensure we create cheese of the highest quality.

Want to know more? Check out some fun facts about Swiss or explore our recipes.