The company
Welcome to the beautiful Bernese Jura. The Fromages Spielhofer company is situated in Saint-Imier.
Portrait
We produce the highest quality natural products. All our cheeses, as well as our mountain butter, are made from silage-free raw mountain milk. The “affinage”, i.e. the refinement and maturation, takes place in our own cellars. We are one of only seven cheese dairies authorised to produce the legendary Tête de Moine. Plus over 20 other semi-soft, hard and soft cheeses.
Many awards and distinctions show just how much we care about quality, in particular from the Swiss Cheese Awards but also at the Mondial du Fromage in Tours, France.
Spielhofer is certified according to ISO standard IFS Food, FSSC 22000, the Swiss Federal Mountain and Alpine Ordinance and is certified as organic.
Contact persons
Isabelle Kaltenrieder
Members of the Executive Board, Finances
Philosophy
Spielhofer is anchored in the region and has friendly relationships not only with its own staff but also with the suppliers who are exclusively farmers with close-to-nature production methods. We represent the highest quality processing. We use traditional processes, implemented using modern tools. We guarantee top quality, from the cows’ feed to the end product. Checks are carried out daily, at each stage of production through to the sales process. In particular, we apply the strictest hygiene provisions.
Facts & Figures
Litres of milk per year
15 million
Tête de Moine production and sales
1.5 million
Storage capacity for Tête de Moine
500’000
3’200
Tonnes of cheese per year
85
Staff (average, depending on season)
41
Age
History
In 1928, some milk suppliers set up the Cormoret Cheese dairy. The annual volume of 250,000 kg of milk delivered was mostly used as drinking milk and the rest was processed to make Gruyère.
1982
In 1982, Josef Spielhofer, aged 24 at the time, took over the dairy in Cormoret with his wife Edith and their one-year-old daughter, Nadine. Coming from Lucerne, he originally planned to spend “maybe three years” in the Jura mountains... But first things first, he obtained his master cheesemaker diploma.
1990
In May 1990, Josef Spielhofer bought the cheese dairy with an annual milk volume of approx. 730,000 kg per year. At the same time, he sourced the excess milk, about 400,000 kg per year, from a neighbouring dairy.
1998
In 1998, the Renan dairy became part of the company.
1999
In 1999, the milk from the Société de la Ferrière was also acquired.
2003
In 2003, the Cormoret and Renan production units were centralised in Saint-Imier. There, the company took over the former Swiss Dairy Food building. In the same year, the Spielhofer cheese dairy became a stock company: Fromages Spielhofer SA.
2004
In 2004, collaboration with Juvent SA and its wind power plant on Mont-Soleil began. Purchasing of wind energy and creation of the Eolienne à la crème speciality.
2008
In 2008, we started making mountain butter.
2012
In 2012, the company obtained the FSSC 22000 certification.
2014
In 2014, the company obtained IFS certification.
2016
Cooperation with the cooperative of milk producer from Sonvilier.
2016
Since 2016, the Spielhofer Swisscheese SA subsidiary has also produced in Kyrgyzstan. This is a project initiated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
2017
In 2017, the factory was expanded again.
2018
Production of 180,000 KW/H of electricity for our own needs.
2019
In 2019, Cédric and Florian Spielhofer officially took over Fromages Spielhofer SA.
2022
Fromages Spielhofer celebrated the opening of another cheese dairy and the second Fine Food Shop in Sonvilier.
2023
Acquisition of Käserei Milchkanne AG, including production and shop in Kerzers.
Our commitment
01 / 06
Spielhofer sponsors EHC Biel, the leading regional ice hockey team and three-time Swiss champion.
02 / 06
Spielhofer supplies all milk products and its famous fondue to the Tissot Arena, EHC Biel’s home rink.
03 / 06
Spielhofer can be found at the famous “Chästeilet” near Sigriswil on Lake Thunersee where it is also a sponsor.
04 / 06
Since 2016, the Spielhofer Swisscheese SA subsidiary has also been producing in Kyrgyzstan. This is a project initiated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
05 / 06
We obviously support associations in and around Saint-Imier.
06 / 06
We are a member of the “Guilde Internationale des Fromagers”, a global association of artisan cheeses with over 6000 members.
Our contribution to the environment
Ecology and sustainability have always been an important issue at Spielhofer. We appreciate the importance of nature and the environment in the production of cheese and other dairy products. In close cooperation with our farmers, we are committed to livestock and environmentally-friendly farming. During production, we focus on the use of renewable energies and natural gas, thus minimising CO₂ emissions. Thanks to these efforts, Spielhofer holds the “Opal” certification. This states that the Spielhofer dairy mainly uses sustainable energy.
01 / 05
We buy about 20 to 30% of wind energy from Mont Crosin. Thanks to our contract with Juvent SA, Spielhofer has been permitted to use the wind turbine label since 2004.
02 / 05
Thanks to the latest technology, the production of Gruyère AOP in our cheese dairy in Sonvilier is carbon-neutral.
03 / 05
When it comes to packaging, we aim for environmentally-friendly production.
04 / 05
The whey, a by-product of cheese production, is a valuable natural product which is used to the full.
05 / 05
As an aside: cows which are not fed with silage emit less methane gas.
