You are proud of your roots and you don’t need city lights. You are quiet and strong, and nobody doubts you are the real thing.
Cheese profile
- MildBold
- SoftFirm
- HomebodyExplorer
- SoloFondue crowd
- ClassicWild
The real cheese facts
- Origin
- Vaud Alps, more than 100 alpine dairies
- Milk
- Raw milk
- Type
- Hard cheese made by hand over an open fire, wheels of 15 to 35 kg
- Ripening
- 5 to 13 months, aged wheels at least 30 months
- Season
- Made from May to October
- Best for
- Cheese board; aged wheels shaved thin
Source: cheesesfromswitzerland.com · Last checked 28.10.2026
Taste and texture
Tangy and fruity, with a slight nutty note. The flavour changes from alp to alp, because the cows eat different plants up there.
How to eat it
Young L’Etivaz goes on the cheese board in slices. The aged version, at least 30 months old, is extra-hard and gets shaved into thin curls.
Did you know?
About 400 to 430 tonnes are made each year, or 17,000 to 19,000 wheels, all by hand over an open fire. Around 35 tonnes of that is organic.
L’Etivaz or Gruyère d’Alpage?
Both are summer cheeses from the alpine pastures of Western Switzerland, made from raw milk between May and October. L’Etivaz comes from the Vaud Alps and is made by hand over an open fire, in wheels of 15 to 35 kg. Gruyère d’Alpage wheels weigh 20 to 35 kg. L’Etivaz also has aged versions of at least 30 months that are shaved thin.
More about Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP →How to keep it
Wrap it in cheese paper or waxed paper rather than cling film, so it can breathe, and keep it in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. Take it out about half an hour before you eat it.
Questions about L’Etivaz AOP
Why is L’Etivaz only made in summer?
It is an alpine cheese. Production runs from May to October, while the cows are up on the pastures of the Vaud Alps.
How long does L’Etivaz keep?
For a long time. Aged wheels ripen for at least 30 months, and Switzerland Cheese Marketing notes that the cheese can be stored for very long periods.