The Sennerei Andeer is a Small but World-renowned Alpine Dairy in the Swiss Canton of Graubünden

Uniqueness comes from diversity and small farming communities. And this is what pushed Martin Bienerth and his wife Maria Meyer to take over a dairy farm in the so-called Bündner Land. She is responsible for the milk. He is responsible for the cheese. To put it simply.

Not so simple and far more accurate. The quality of the cheese is dependent on the quality of the milk. The milk’s quality is dependent on the health of the animal and that is determined by its fudder. Good milk makes good cheese. The cheese maker, even of the quality and experience of Martin Bienerth can not turn mediocre milk into great cheese. Still any cheesemaker can still turn good milk into bad cheese. It’s a delicate business and explains why prices for cheese can vary so much.

For the couple, the dairy in Andeer was kind of an experiment, a place to try out new ideas and dreams. After 18 years, and with ups and downs, the experiment can be deemed a success. Five farming families bring 400,000 liters of milk per year to Sennerei Andeer to be processed into different products, like raw milk, sour milk, cream, sour cream, butter, buttermilk, yoghurt, quark, Ziger fresh cheese, and another 25 delicious varieties of cheeses. The passion for making cheese brought Martin and Maria close to the Alps where milk, as the source of life, is cultivated and made. 

A world champion in cheese making, Sennerei Andeer believes in preserving small farms, not allowing large industrial style farms to take over and put everyone else out of business. This expansive way of thinking is in full force, bringing us to a place where we have only a few kinds of things that matter to make excellent products.