MOLESON-SUR-GRUYERES, Switzerland: The Alpine farmers who make one of Switzerland’s most famous cheeses are scrambling to fill the gap in sales left by US import tariffs, which have sent demand tumbling in one of their most important export markets.
Gruyère was hit by a new US tariff of 10 percent last year, rising to 12.5 percent this year. In response, the producers’ association cut output by 5 percent to protect prices.
“The cheese isn’t actually selling, and the measure is there to avoid a stock surplus. It also helps maintain a stable price,” said cheesemaker Alexandre Murith, who spends the summer with his wife and four children tending cows that graze on mountain pastures and provide the milk used to make Gruyère. “Of course, restrictions are always a hassle, but this allows us to keep the price of Gruyère at a reasonable level rather than slashing prices just to move the product,” he said.
The US market had traditionally accounted for about 13 percent of Gruyère sales. The cheese has a stronger taste and a slightly earthier smell than its hole-riddled compatriot Emmental.
The production cut has hit farmers hard, they say, though they are reluctant to give exact figures. For the most heavily exported type of Gruyère, produced at lower altitudes, the 5 percent reduction has been kept in place for a second year. For the kind Murith makes, there is no cut for the coming season.
“We were heavily impacted in 2026,” said cheese trader Anthony Margot, who ages thousands of wheels at a time in his cellar, on neat wooden shelves reaching toward the ceiling. “We work daily to find new markets around the world. But the United States is a massive market with high purchasing power, clearly it cannot be replaced overnight,” he added. “We are actively scouting opportunities everywhere, of course, but it takes time and money.”
