Emmi AG
 

Media release
 

 

Cheese specialities from the Kaltbach cave
 

KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty: from 0 to 100,000 in just four years

 
 

Lucerne, 5 December 2016 – Emmentaler AOP and Le Gruyère AOP are the most popular Swiss cheeses both in Switzerland and abroad. This also holds true for the cave-aged cheese specialities from Kaltbach. However, launched just four years ago, KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty is catching up to the two frontrunners at an impressive pace. With annual volume growth of almost 50%, its 100,000th wheel this year recently left the Kaltbach cave. This can be attributed to its balanced flavour, intense but not sharp, which appeals to cheese fans both young and old.

 
 

“Subtle, balanced, aromatic, but not too tangy”. This was the positive assessment of consumers when KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty was launched in autumn 2012. Having proved popular ever since, its sales volumes have steadily risen and recently reached a peak of 100,000. 100,000 wheels of KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty left the Kaltbach cave between 1 January and 1 December 2016 – the first time the semi-hard cheese produced in Emmen by Emmi and aged in the Kaltbach cave for four months has reached this magic mark in annual volume.

 

 

Following in the footsteps of major cheese varieties

 

The sandstone cave in Kaltbach has been used to age cheese since as far back as the 1950s. Located in the municipality of Mauensee, it has been owned by Emmi since 1993. In 2005, Emmi launched the KALTBACH brand to market speciality cheeses from the sandstone cave.

 

In order to meet growing demand, Emmi extended the cave system between 2008 and 2010 from 970 to 2,130 metres, thus creating room for around 150,000 cheese wheels. Whereas sales were made up almost exclusively by KALTBACH Emmentaler AOP in the early years, today KALTBACH Le Gruyère AOP is the most sought-after cheese speciality from the cave. Around 55,000 of the 35-kilogram wheels leave the cave every year.

 

Launched in autumn 2012, KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty has developed into a further favourite. Its sales have steadily increased by an average of almost 50% each year and on 1 December 2016, it broke the 100,000 wheel mark, meaning that around 400,000 kilograms of this aromatic semi-hard cheese are set to be sold this year. This impressive growth can be attributed to its balanced character, with an intense taste that is not too tangy. The particularly creamy texture, which is achieved thanks to a high proportion of cream, clearly sets it apart from other semi-hard cheeses.

 

KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty is a real hit in terms of exports, with almost 90% of this cheese being exported. It is particularly popular in Germany, where more than half of the total amount sold is consumed. KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty is also available in the Netherlands, the UK, Italy, Austria, North America and even the Philippines.
 

 

Contact

 

Sibylle Umiker, Head of Media Relations

T +41 58 227 50 66, E-mail: media@emmi.com
 

 

Downloadable content and other information

 
Kaltbach website
Images
Recipe fruity cheese salad
 

 

 

About the Kaltbach cave

Kaltbach is a small hamlet in the canton of Lucerne under the administration of the municipality of Mauensee. From as early as the beginning of the 1950s, cheese was stored there in a 50-metre tunnel cut into the sandstone rock of the Santenberg. In 1956, the cave was extended for the first time to create more space to store cheese. After the distribution of cave-aged Emmentaler AOP began in the 1970s, it soon became clear that 150 metres was insufficient space, and the cave was gradually extended to a length of 500 metres, followed by 1,000 metres in the 1990s. In 1993, Emmi acquired the cave and converted the site into a speciality cheese facility with natural cave-based ageing in the rock caves. In 1999, Le Gruyère AOP – now the bestselling cheese in the KALTBACH range – was aged in the cave for the first time. Between 2000 and 2005, prior to the launch of the KALTBACH brand, the products were marketed under the Cave-Aged label. In order to meet growing demand for cave-aged cheese specialities, work began on expanding the cave from roughly one to more than two kilometres in 2008. As of 2010, the cave is able to house around 150,000 cheese wheels. In addition to the two classics KALTBACH Emmentaler AOP and KALTBACH Le Gruyère AOP, today’s range also includes a raclette cheese, a fondue mix, a goat’s cheese and the two semi-hard cheeses produced by Emmi itself, KALTBACH Extra Tasty and KALTBACH Creamy & Tasty. The cheeses from the Kaltbach cave are well established among Swiss consumers, but are particularly popular abroad. Accordingly, around 60% of KALTBACH cheeses are exported, predominantly to the US, Germany and the Netherlands.

The Kaltbach cave is open to all interested visitors on request.

 

About Emmi

Emmi is the leading Swiss milk processor and one of the most innovative premium dairies in Europe. In Switzerland, the company focuses on the development, production and marketing of a full range of dairy and fresh products as well as the production, ageing and trade of primarily Swiss cheeses. Outside Switzerland, Emmi concentrates on brand concepts and specialities in established European and North American markets, and increasingly in emerging markets outside of Europe. The primary focus in fresh products is on lifestyle, convenience and health products. In the cheese business, Emmi positions itself as the leading company worldwide for Swiss cheese. Emmi’s customers are the retail trade, the hospitality and food service sector and the food industry.

In Switzerland, Emmi includes around 25 production sites of every size. Abroad, Emmi and its subsidiaries have a presence in 13 countries, seven of which have production facilities. Emmi exports products from Switzerland to around 60 countries. In 2015, Emmi posted net sales of CHF 3,214 million and a net profit of CHF 120 million. In the first half of 2016, the company achieved sales of CHF 1,594 million and a net profit of CHF 61 million. The company employs around 5,750 staff (full-time equivalents), of which 3,000 in Switzerland.