Swiss chocolate and cheese
Swiss chocolate
This post is related to our trip to Switzerland in early spring. Who hasn’t dreamed of being in a chocolate factory? The Swiss chocolate industry is similar to fashion houses in Italy or champagne houses in France – there are chocolate houses in Switzerland. Our Swiss chocolate tour was booked at Cailler Chocolate House (Maison Cailler). This brand has been owned by the Nestle Group for a while now, however, it has managed to preserve its historical values and traditions.
Like many interesting sights, the chocolate factory is a bit off the main road. The Cailler factory, which produces Swiss chocolate (one of many), is in a town called Broc. During the visit, it was possible to get acquainted with the history of making chocolate, which, as it turns out, is not so old, as well as to taste a variety of Swiss chocolate. Just to note that, although you can eat chocolate in huge quantities, it is not recommended to eat chocolate too for the benefit of your health.
The exact address of Cailler is Maison Cailler, Chocolaterie, Rue Jules Bellet 7, 1636 Broc. Entrance ticket to the museum and tasting costs 10 Swiss francs for adults, and 8 francs for younger children and the elderly. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Vineyards
Swiss chocolate is a good thing, however, nature in Switzerland is also very special. Both Switzerland and France are located around Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), but the northern part of the lake, located in Switzerland, is more populated. The French part around the lake is mountainous and you can enjoy the beautiful landscape to the south. The width of the lake is no more than ten kilometres, so the other side with snow-capped mountain peaks is perfectly visible.
Switzerland, especially the French part of it, has many vineyards, from which the grapes are mainly used to produce white wine. Not far from Montreux are located the UNESCO-listed Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, part of the famous Swiss Wine Route. They look fantastic and the view towards Lake Geneva is unique. However, what surprised me most was that there is a road through these vineyards on a cliff; if you look up, there is also a railway track built through those vineyards and those exist together very well.
In Switzerland in general, the most fascinating thing is how people have learned to build houses, cultivate gardens, and engineer roads and railways on steep slopes. And overall, it all looks well together and provides a comfortable living.
Emmental cheese
Marketing is quite a unique thing sometimes. What could be a better idea to create a famous brand so that people from all over the world travel like crazy to the middle of nowhere to taste cheese? And business is soaring! I like Emmental cheese, it’s just funny to recognise what we can do to acknowledge our preference for some things.
I shall say that the roads in Switzerland, although sometimes quite narrow, everywhere, even to the farthest farmstead, are paved and getting to the middle of nowhere may be quite comfortable. You will get lunch there and pay for it properly, and in the end, there will be no feeling that this trip could have failed.
The good news is that you will get everything you expect – even more. The cheese experience was, of course, great in every way – hard and soft cheese, excellent cheese soup, potatoes with cheese, and cheese in every other way.
I surely would recommend others to taste it too! In general, everything you see, except for food and shops, is available at no extra charge. The address of the cheese farm/factory is Emmentaler Schaukäserei AG, Schaukäsereistrasse 6, 3416, Affoltern im Emmental. Normally open from April to October, opening hours from 9 to 18:30, the other months from 9 in the morning to five in the afternoon.