Gruyère

Gruyère is a hard, cooked, pressed cheese made from raw cow's milk, produced in a defined zone of eastern France. Its specification mandates holes ranging in size from that of a pea to a cherry, a characteristic arising from propionic fermentation during maturation. It is the only pressed and cooked cheese holding this designation that is required to have such holes.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI on 25 June 2007 under file number PGI-FR-0612 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000014024), Gruyère is produced within a geographical area covering Franche-Comté, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, and several peripheral zones including Bassigny, Bugey, and Vercors. Milk must come exclusively from cows of the following breeds: Abondance, Tarentaise, Montbéliarde, Vosgienne, and Simmental française. The use of fermented fodder, including silage, is prohibited at all times of year. A minimum annual grazing period of 150 days is mandatory, and at least 70 % of the total ration for the dairy herd must comprise feed produced on the holding. At least 80 % of roughage consumed must originate from the geographical area, and each dairy cow may receive no more than 1 800 kg of complementary feed per year. The cheese is made from raw milk fermented with natural whey-cultivated leavening and natural rennet. Wheels measure 53 to 63 cm in diameter and 13 to 16 cm in height. Fat content ranges between 47 and 52 % after complete desiccation, dry matter content is no less than 62 %, and salt content falls between 0.6 and 1.7 g of sodium chloride per 100 g of cheese. Maturing lasts at least 120 days. Before leaving the maturing cellar, a band must be affixed to the side of each wheel sold under the protected name.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 25 June 2007 under file number PGI-FR-0612, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000014024.
• The specification requires holes ranging in size from that of a pea to a cherry; no other pressed and cooked cheese holding this designation is required to have holes.
• Fermented fodder of any kind, including silage, is prohibited in the feed of the dairy herd throughout the year.
• Milk must come exclusively from five named breeds: Abondance, Tarentaise, Montbéliarde, Vosgienne, and Simmental française.

Tasting notes

Note: French Gruyère IGP (registered 2013) is distinct from Swiss Gruyère AOP. French version from Savoie-Franche-Comté, aged 5+ months, characterized by **eyes the size of a pea to a cherry** (a defining IGP feature distinguishing French from Swiss Gruyère which is eyeless). Pale ivory-yellow paste, firm texture, fruity-savory flavor with hazelnut and cooked-milk notes.

HoReCa use

Fondue, gratin dauphinois, soufflés, croque-monsieur, and volume catering operations where it serves as a regional alternative to other large cooked cheeses.

Packaging

• wheel-full-25-40kg
• wheel-quarter-vacuum-7-10kg
• wedge-vacuum-500g
• wedge-vacuum-250g
• grated-pre-pack-100g