Swiss Cheeses – Artisan Selection from the Alps

Buy your Swiss cheeses online

At La Dent du Chat, a cheese shop in Ixelles (Brussels), you can buy online a selection of authentic PDO Swiss cheeses, delivered vacuum-packed in 1 to 3 days in Belgium, France and Luxembourg — or collected in store. Gruyère, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Emmentaler, Appenzeller, Étivaz, Tête de Moine: the finest ambassadors of the Swiss Alps, selected for their terroir and their ageing.

Welcome to the Heart of the Swiss Alps

From the snow-capped peaks of the Jura to the green slopes of Appenzell, Swiss cheeses embody a thousand-year-old cheese-making tradition, where every wheel is the fruit of know-how handed down from father to son. We have selected for you the finest ambassadors of this heritage: cheeses that tell the story of a terroir, a passion, and an excellence recognised worldwide.

The Swiss Alps offer a unique environment for cheese production. High-altitude pastures, pure glacier water and the traditions of selecting cattle breeds (Brown Swiss, Simmental, Holstein) create ideal conditions for turning milk into exceptional cheeses. We invite you to experience them, to discover them as living witnesses of an authentic Alpine culture.

Every cheese we offer holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or a strict quality certification. These labels are not marketing badges: they are promises of traceability, respect for the terroir, and traditional production methods that refuse shortcuts.

Alpine Terroir & Swiss Breeds: The Essence of Cheese

The Swiss Alps: An Exceptional Terroir

Swiss cheeses are born in a unique environment. High-altitude pastures, between 800 and 2,500 metres, offer exceptional flora: clover, lucerne and aromatic herbs that infuse the milk with subtle, complex flavours. Pure glacier water, the mountain climate and the traditions of selecting cattle breeds create ideal conditions for cheese production of the highest standard.

Every Swiss region brings its own signature: the Jura with its hard, mineral cheeses, Appenzell with its ancestral traditions, central Switzerland with its melting, generous cheeses. It is this diversity of terroirs that makes Swiss cheese-making so rich.

Cattle Breeds & PDO Appellations: A Guarantee of Quality

Switzerland has developed one of the strictest Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) systems in Europe. For a cheese to be Swiss PDO, it must meet a demanding set of specifications:

• Specific cattle breeds: Brown Swiss, Simmental, Holstein (selected for the quality of their milk)
• Natural feed: high-altitude pastures, no silage (fermented fodder)
• Local production: milk collected and processed in the region of origin
• Traditional ageing: natural cellars, turning by hand, respect for minimum ageing times
• Full traceability: from the pasture to your table

These requirements guarantee that every Swiss PDO cheese is an authentic product, respectful of the terroir and of tradition.

Pairings & Tasting: How to Appreciate your Swiss Cheeses

Swiss cheeses offer a remarkable range of flavours. Gruyère develops notes of hazelnut and caramel; Vacherin Fribourgeois offers a creamy mildness; Emmentaler brings a balanced, slightly sweet flavour; Appenzeller reveals spicy, herbaceous aromas.

• 🧀 GruyèreLight Pinot Noir · Wholemeal bread · Dried fruit and nuts
• 🧀 Vacherin FribourgeoisChasselas · White bread · Fresh grapes
• 🧀 EmmentalerDry cider · Walnut bread · Apple
• 🧀 AppenzellerAromatic white · Rye bread · Onion

Enjoy your cheeses at room temperature (taken out of the fridge 30–45 minutes beforehand) to release all their aromas. Serve them with a good country loaf and, for festive evenings, a Vacherin fondue.

Storage & Delivery: Preserving Freshness

Your Swiss cheeses arrive vacuum-packed, carefully wrapped to preserve their freshness and their flavour. On receipt, place them in the fridge (4–8°C), ideally in the vegetable drawer or in an airtight box. Wrap them in cheese paper rather than cling film, which stops the cheese from breathing.

A well-stored Swiss cheese will keep for 3–4 weeks in the fridge. We deliver to Belgium, France and Luxembourg, with particular care taken over every parcel, so that your cheese arrives in the best possible condition.