One landscape, two crafts
Cheese and chocolate are not found together here by chance. The Gruyère region is a land of pastures and dairy cows, and it is this milk that gives both Gruyère AOP and Cailler chocolate. The cheese bears the name of the region where it was born. As for Cailler, the oldest chocolate brand still in existence in Switzerland, it settled in Broc in 1898, in a region renowned for the quality of its milk.
Moving from one to the other in the same day helps you understand this link. You see raw milk turn into wheels in the morning, then find the region's milk again in the chocolate in the afternoon. Both places are a few minutes from the medieval town, which leaves time to visit the castle and have lunch in the village without rushing.
In the morning, Gruyère AOP in Pringy
La Maison du Gruyère opened its doors in 1969: it was the first demonstration cheese dairy in Switzerland. It is not a static museum but a real cheese dairy, producing up to 48 wheels a day. From a glazed gallery, you follow the cheesemaker from the raw milk to the moulding. Cheesemaking takes place in the morning, which is why we put this stop at the start of the day.
The Gruyère AOP specification requires raw milk, with no pasteurisation or additives, delivered to the dairy twice a day. At least 400 litres of milk are needed for a wheel of around 35 kilos. The maturing cellar then shows how the wheels ripen over time. The restaurant and shop on site let you taste the house cheese and take some home.
In the afternoon, chocolate in Broc
François-Louis Cailler founded his chocolate business in 1819 in Vevey. His grandson, Alexandre-Louis Cailler, opened the Broc factory in 1898. Cailler chocolate is still made there, in the historic building that now welcomes visitors. Maison Cailler, opened in 2010, first tells the story of the family and the great names of Swiss chocolate, in an interactive tour.
The second part of the visit is devoted to production. You touch and examine the raw ingredients, discover the people who produce them, then watch a production line making chocolate branches. The tour ends with a tasting of the house specialities. The shop at the exit lets you take home bars and pralines: keep a little room in your bags.
In between, the town of Gruyères
A cheese and chocolate day benefits from a break in the medieval town. Gruyères Castle, at the top of the hill, tells eight centuries of history, from the Counts of Gruyère to the bailiffs of Fribourg. From its ramparts, you take in the meadows where the milk comes from, and you understand why this small region gave its name to a cheese known far beyond Switzerland.
Lunch at your leisure in the village is the right moment to taste the region's cheese specialities, after the morning visit. Moléson and the HR Giger Museum remain possible if time allows, but a day centred on cheese and chocolate is best enjoyed without hurrying. We suggest the order of the stops according to the opening hours of each place on your chosen date.
