Visiting the Hauser Family: Masters of Swiss Vacherin Mont d’Or

Earlier this autumn, we had the privilege of travelling to the Jura Mountains to visit one of Switzerland’s most respected Vacherin Mont d’Or producers: the Hauser family. For 45 years, the Hausers have dedicated themselves to crafting this iconic seasonal cheese, and today the dairy is led by second-generation cheesemaker Patrick Hauser, whose quiet precision and deep respect for tradition have elevated the reputation of Swiss Mont d’Or worldwide.

A Family Craft, Perfected Over Generations

Patrick’s parents began making Vacherin Mont d’Or in the late 1970s, and he continues the craft with the same meticulous attention to detail. The dairy operates with a team of 17 full-time cheesemakers, joined by seven additional staff during the busy Mont d’Or season, when production reaches its peak. Today, they craft around 90 metric tonnes of Swiss Vacherin Mont d’Or each year, alongside a small range of specialty soft cheeses and traditional AOP Gruyère.

During our visit, we were joined by Pascal from the VMD interprofession — the regulatory body overseeing Swiss Vacherin Mont d’Or. With 25 years in his role, Pascal carries an encyclopaedic understanding of the cheese’s heritage, standards and quality controls, and spoke with admiration about the Hauser dairy’s consistently exceptional output.

Swiss Tradition vs French Scale

Swiss Vacherin Mont d’Or is rare by design. Only nine official AOP dairies are permitted to make it, producing a total of around 600 metric tonnes each year. By contrast, the French side of the border produces roughly 6,000 metric tonnes across just three large co-operatives.

This difference in scale is noticeable not only in volume, but in approach. Swiss dairies — including the Hausers — always wrap their cheeses using Swiss spruce bark. Many French dairies, by comparison, use bark sourced from Poland. It’s a small detail, but one that subtly influences terroir and identity, reinforcing the cheese’s connection to its landscape.

How the Hauser Family Makes Their Mont d’Or

We were able to follow the full production process — from vat to maturation room — gaining a real appreciation of why Hauser Vacherin Mont d’Or is considered among the very best.

Daily Production

• The dairy produces three vats of cheese per day, each representing milk collected from the surrounding Jura farms.

• Once moulded, the cheeses begin ripening in a room held at 10°C, before being transferred to a cooler at 7°C for the remainder of their maturation.

Ageing & Care

• The cheeses mature on spruce boards, which lend both structure and character during the ageing process.

• For the first five days, the cheeses are turned daily; afterwards, they are brined each day to develop their signature rosy rind and depth of flavour.

• While the AOP allows dairies to release their Vacherin Mont d’Or after 17 days, Patrick chooses to mature his cheeses for around 25 days, allowing the paste to soften, enrich and develop its complexity.

This patient, hands-on approach results in a cheese that is deeply aromatic, luxuriously creamy, and unmistakably expressive of its Swiss mountain origins.

Exceptional Quality, Proven Again and Again

One of the most remarkable insights from our visit came from Pascal’s monthly blind tastings. Every season, each of the nine Swiss dairies submits cheeses to the AOP panel, where they are scored out of 22 points for flavour, texture, appearance and overall quality.

• The average producer score is 19.5

• Patrick’s average is an outstanding 20.5

• And on previous occasions, he has achieved the rare and coveted perfect score

According to Pascal, the Hauser dairy is consistently ranked in the top three every single month of the season — a testament to Patrick’s unwavering pursuit of excellence.

A Visit That Deepened Our Appreciation

Standing in the Hauser maturation rooms, with row upon row of spruce-wrapped wheels, offered a profound sense of continuity — a reminder that Vacherin Mont d’Or is not simply a cheese, but a seasonal ritual shaped by people, place and time. It was a privilege to witness this craftsmanship first-hand.

As we prepare to bring Vacherin Mont d’Or to our customers this winter, our visit reaffirmed something we’ve always believed: the world’s greatest cheeses are made by families who pour their lives into them. Patrick Hauser and his team embody this truth completely.