Created by Walter Rass, the master cheesemaker at Käserei Tufertschwil in the canton of Saint-Gallen, Chällerhocker is a twist on traditional Swiss cheese. The recipe is based on Appenzeller, which Walter, as a second generation producer has many years of experience making.

Unlike most producers in Switzerland, Walter likes to make his own rennet rather than relying strictly on the commercial type. Chällerhocker differs considerably from Appenzeller, due to changes in the recipe such as the temperature the curd is cooked at and that Walter chooses not to skim the fat off of the milk.

Curd for Chällerhocker is pressed into the molds for a day before being washed in a brine solution.

The name of the cheese roughly translates to “sitting in a cellar”, which is exactly what it does, for ten months. During that time it is regularly washed with brine.

Chällerhocker production began in 2003 and was part of the new wave of innovative cheesemaking in Switzerland,. The dairy was originally founded in 1896 and Walter’s father, also a cheesemaker bought the dairy in 1987.

Walter works with dairy farmers located within about a mile’s radius of the dairy, each of which owns an average of about 15 cows that are mostly Brown Swiss. Twice daily the farmers bring the milk directly to the dairy and cheese is made once each day. Villagers and locals can also stop by the dairy to buy Chällerhocker.