Cheese dairy in the Appenzellerland: processing of Appenzeller mountain milk into mountain cheese, raclette cheese and butter

Berg-Käserei Gais AG

Forren 22, CH-9056 Gais AR (cheese dairy, ripening cellar, farm shop)New on Amplifa

up to 10 (depending on the season)Employees

up to 15 Mio. kg of milk per yearProcessing capacity

60'000 cheese wheels, ripening 3–8Ripening cellar

around 60 milk suppliers from theMilk suppliers

AG (private commercial business)Legal form

About Berg-Käserei Gais AG

Berg-Käserei Gais AG is an independent, privately owned commercial milk processing business in Gais in the Appenzellerland, located at 950 m above sea level between Lake Constance and the Säntis. The business processes 30'000 to 50'000 litres of Appenzeller mountain milk daily into semi-hard and mountain cheese specialities as well as raclette cheese; the annual capacity is up to 15 Mio. kg of milk. The milk comes from around 60 milk suppliers from the mountain region of the Appenzellerland, who are visited annually on their farms as part of the QM system. The products include, among others, Säntis Bergkäse, Kümmel-Bergkäse (caraway mountain cheese), Alpstein® cheese specialities, raclette specialities, BIO Senner and Rustico Nostrano®; from the mountain cream, Alpstein® Sennenbutter is produced in the company's own butter dairy. The cheeses ripen in the modern ripening cellar with space for 60'000 wheels for 3 to 8 months depending on the variety, while the Rustico Nostrano® ripens in the vaulted cellar with mould ripening. Direct sales take place at the farm shop in Gais; the business is a recognised training company for dairy technologists.

Site: Gais, AR
Processes: Cheese production (semi-hard and mountain cheese specialities, raclette cheese), Milk processing (daily 30'000 to 50'000 litres of mountain milk, up to 15 Mio. kg of milk per year), Cheese ripening (ripening cellar for 60'000 cheese wheels, 3 to 8 months depending on variety;, Butter production (Alpstein® Sennenbutter, Mödeli shaped and packed by hand), Hand waxing of the Mutschli (hand-smeared), Direct sales (farm shop, Forren 22, Gais), Training of dairy technologists (recognised apprenticeship company), Direct sales in the farm shop
Materials: Appenzeller mountain milk (cow's milk), Organic mountain farm milk (raw milk), Mountain cream, Lactic acid bacteria (Liebefeld cultures)
Certificates: Bergverordnung, BIO Suisse, Suisse Garantie, QM Fromarte, IP-SUISSE, Culinarium, Swiss Milk green, Voluntary Climate Protection, Voluntary Climate Protection (Energy Agency)
Employees: up to 10 (depending
Industries: Milk processing, Cheese production, Food trade

01
Milk intake from around 60 mountain farms in the Appenzellerland
02
Cheese production (semi-hard and mountain cheese, raclette cheese)
03
Butter dairy: mountain cream into Alpstein® Sennenbutter, Mödeli shaped by hand
04
Ripening in the ripening cellar (3–8 months) or mould ripening in the vaulted
05
Direct sales in the farm shop and distribution

Raw materials and processing

Appenzeller mountain milk (cow's milk)

The only raw material from the mountain region of the Appenzellerland, processed pasteurised, thermised or as raw milk.

Organic mountain farm milk (raw milk)

Used for the BIO Senner cheese specialities.

Mountain cream

From the cheese-making process, processed in the company's own butter dairy into Alpstein® Sennenbutter.

Lactic acid bacteria (Liebefeld cultures)

Swiss cultures, some in use for almost 100 years, which shape the flavour and character of the cheeses.

Locations

Gais

Cheese dairy, ripening cellar, butter dairy, direct sales/farm shop

Materials: Appenzeller mountain milk, organic mountain farm milk, mountain cream

Ripening cellar for 60'000 cheese wheels
Vaulted cellar with mould ripening
modern butter dairy

Products

**Säntis Bergkäse®**Mountain cheese · Multiple diploma winner at the Swiss Cheese Awards

**Kümmel-Bergkäse®**Semi-hard cheese with caraway · Apéro and cheese platters

**Gaiser Bergkäse**mild mountain cheese from Gais · sliced cheese

**Alpstein® Bergkäse**rustic, tangy mountain cheese · sandwiches and grated cheese

**Alpstein® Senne-Mutschli**hand-smeared mountain Mutschli · apéro and gift size

**Gaiser Bergraclette**Raclette cheese with excellent melting properties · warm cuisine

Inside the production

Exterior view of cheese dairy and farm shop, Forren 22, Gais

Industries

Milk processingCheese productionFood trade

Processes & technical limits

Processes	Tolerance	Max. part	Weight	Lot size	Materials
Cheese production (semi-hard and mountain cheese specialities, raclette cheese)Plastics	–	–	–	–	Appenzeller mountain milk (cow's milk,, Organic mountain farm milk
Milk processing (daily 30'000 to 50'000 litres of mountain milk, up to 15 Mio. kg of milk per year)Plastics	–	–	–	–	Mountain milk
Cheese ripening (ripening cellar for 60'000 cheese wheels, 3 to 8 months depending on variety;Testing	–	–	–	–	Cow's milk
Butter production (Alpstein® Sennenbutter, Mödeli shaped and packed by hand)Plastics	–	–	–	–	Mountain cream
Hand waxing of the Mutschli (hand-smeared)Surface	–	–	–	–	Cow's milk, pasteurised
Direct sales (farm shop, Forren 22, Gais)Assembly	–	–	–	–	–
Training of dairy technologists (recognised apprenticeship company)Engineering	–	–	–	–	–

Additional services

Direct sales in the farm shopMilk processing/cheese productionButter dairy (Alpstein® Sennenbutter)Cheese ripening (ripening cellar for 60'000 wheels, 3–8 months)Training company for dairy technologists (recognised apprenticeship company)QM system with annual farm visits to milk suppliers

Quality and Certifications

A QM system with annual farm visits to all around 60 milk suppliers ensures milk quality; the ripening process is continuously checked until the cheeses reach the desired degree of ripeness. All products are SUISSE GARANTIE certified; further certificates include Bergverordnung, BIO Suisse, IP-SUISSE and QM Fromarte.

Evidence	Gais
Bergverordnung
BIO Suisse
Suisse Garantie
QM Fromarte
IP-SUISSE
Culinarium
Swiss Milk green
Voluntary Climate Protection (Energy Agency)