Crafts

Careful cheese craftsmanship since 1872

CAREFUL CHEESE CRAFTSMANSHIP SINCE 1872

Västerbottensost® has been made in the same way ever since Ulrika Eleonora Lindström created the legendary recipe in 1872. The recipe is still a well-kept secret known only to Cheese Master Thomas Rudin and a few other living people.

Here you can learn more about the painstaking craftsmanship behind the cheese.

"THE CHEESES ARE JUDGED BY MASTER CHEESEMAKER THOMAS RUDIN ON A NINE-POINT SCALE"

Västerbottensost® is matured for at least 14 months to develop its unique flavour. To determine whether the cheese is ripe, a cheese drill is used to remove a kernel. This is judged by Cheese Master Thomas Rudin and his team on a nine-point scale, based on taste, aroma, texture, texture and appearance.

"VÄSTERBOTTENSOST® CAN ONLY BE PRODUCED IN ONE PLACE IN THE WORLD - OUR LITTLE DAIRY IN BURTRÄSK"

From fresh milk to whole cheese

Learn more about how Västerbottensost® is made step by step.

Our heroes: the cows & the milk

Every day, fresh milk comes from our dairy farms in the north of Sweden and is poured into the dairy’s vat. Did you know that only the milk from 61 farms can become Västerbottensost®?

"It takes 10 litres of milk for every kilo of finished cheese"

The milk is pasteurised by heating it up and quickly cooling it down again.

"During the renneting process, the milk is separated to separate the whey and the grainy curd is filled into round moulds"

"The cheeses are pressed for 18 hours and turned by hand according to a precise schedule"

"Our whole cheeses weigh 18 kilos and are bigger than any other Swedish hard cheese"

The pre-pressed cheeses are left to rest in brine until they have the right surface, texture, saltiness and flavour.