You combine alpine toughness with southern charm. You can be a little independent and a little dramatic, and you are always the real thing.
Cheese profile
- MildBold
- SoftFirm
- HomebodyExplorer
- SoloFondue crowd
- ClassicWild
The real cheese facts
- Origin
- Canton of Ticino, pastures at 1,500 to 2,400 m
- Milk
- Raw cow’s milk, up to 30 % goat’s milk allowed
- Type
- Made daily in copper kettles, AOP since 2002
- Ripening
- At least 45 days
- Season
- Made from 1 June to 30 September
Source: aop-igp.ch, cheesesfromswitzerland.com · Last checked 28.10.2026
Taste and texture
The cows and goats graze on alpine meadows with up to 250 different plants, and that gives the cheese its subtle aromas.
How to eat it
Slice it for a cheese board or eat it with bread. Every alp makes its own cheese, so it is worth trying wheels from different alps side by side.
Did you know?
The first written records of this cheese go back to the 12th century. It is still made every day on the alp in copper kettles, salted for 24 hours and ripened on spruce and larch boards until the herds come down.
Formaggio d’alpe ticinese or Alpkäse?
Alpkäse is the general name for cheese made on an alp in summer. Formaggio d’alpe ticinese is a protected AOP version from Ticino with its own rules: raw milk, up to 30 % goat’s milk, production from June to September and at least 45 days of ripening.
More about Alpkäse →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 Formaggio d’alpe ticinese AOP
Is there goat’s milk in it?
There can be. The AOP rules allow up to 30 % goat’s milk alongside the raw cow’s milk.
When is it made?
From 1 June to 30 September, on alpine pastures at 1,500 to 2,400 metres.