Our Grass Fed Swiss Cheese Process
At Swiss Villa, we value transparency, starting with sharing the process by which we make our delicious grass fed Swiss cheese. Every step of the way, we ensure complete perfection, delivering grass fed Swiss cheese straight to your door.
First, 100% grass-fed cows are milked on small farms, giving us A2/A2 milk.
Once the cows are milked, the milk is heated to fermentation temperature; this preserves the natural health benefits of the milk by not pasteurizing it. The milk begins to ferment after we add starter cultures; vegetable rennet is also added, helping the milk create curds. At this point, the milk begins to thicken and the curds separate from the whey.
Time to cut the curd! When curd knives (wires that cut the vat into quarter-inch cubes) are placed into the vat (or container that heats the cheese) they eventually become firm, releasing whey during the process.
Next, the curds are cut into smaller pieces and gently cooked to get rid of any excess whey plus ensure the curds are firmly set. Then the curds are pressed and molded to the desired shape.
We push the cheese curds further into the vat after the curds are heated and reach the correct consistency. Want to know another benefit of this process? After the whey has been fully drained from the curds, it makes a wonderful fertilizer for neighboring pastures and farmland.
Now, we cut large slabs of grass fed swiss cheese once the curds knit together in the vat. Then, as the cheese releases more whey, we rotate and stack each slab every fifteen minutes. This is called the cheddaring process, allowing the cheese to consolidate and become firm.
Finally, we can cut chunks of excellent cheese. As a last step, each chunk of cheese is aged to perfection for 60 days.
Success! Our raw swiss cheese has found its way from raw cow milk to chunks of flavorful cheese ready to be added to pasta or eaten plain. 🙂
william wehner –
Gloria P. –
Delicious!
GAYLE F. –
High quality great tasting cheese