In Gruyeres, western Switzerland, from mid-May to mid-October, the fifth generation of the Murith family produces its distinctive mountain pasture Gruyere cheese. Each wheel of cheese weighs between 25 and 40 kilograms, and takes a minimum of six months to mature. The family produces 200 wheels each year to sell locally, using unpasteurized milk from their own herd of cows. Reuters photographer Denis Balibouse spent time with the Murith family over this past grazing season, capturing days and nights in the alpine pastures of Switzerland.
A Season With Swiss Cheesemakers
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Read moreCheesemaker and farmer Jacques Murith prepares the whey to make serac at the Proveta pasture in Gruyeres, western Switzerland, on June 13, 2013. During the summer grazing season, starting mid-May to mid-October, the fifth generation Murith family produce a distinctive mountain pasture Gruyere cheese. Each wheel of cheese weighs between 25-40 kilograms, and takes a minimum of six months to mature. #
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Read moreCows graze in a field at the Tsermon mountain pasture in Gruyeres, Switzerland, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreFarmer Jacques Murith gathers his cows prior to their departure for the Proveta pasture on the first day of the season in Gruyeres, Switzerland, on May 8, 2013. #
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Read moreMurith family members and friends walk down a track toward the Gruyeres Castle with a herd of cows for the rindya (a dialect word for the return to the plains) on the last day of the season in Gruyeres, on October 12, 2013. #
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Read moreCows stand outside La Proveta mountain pasture chalet after the morning milking during a full moon in Gruyeres, on September 20, 2013. #
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Read moreCheesemaker and farmer Alexandre Murith milks the cows at the Proveta pasture in Gruyeres, on June 13, 2013. #
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Read moreCheesemaker Jacques Murith chops wood for the fire at the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on July 10, 2013. #
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Read moreWood fire warms the milk in a copper vat at La Proveta mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on September 20, 2013. #
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Read moreJacques Murith pours a bucket of skim milk into a copper vat in Gruyeres, on June 13, 2013. #
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Read moreJacques Murith splits the curds into grains during the cheese making process at the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on July 10, 2013. #
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Read moreJacques Murith further splits the curds during cheese making process in Gruyeres, on July 10, 2013. #
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Read moreUsing cheesecloth, Jacques Murith molds a wheel of cheese at La Proveta mountain pasture chalet on September 20, 2013. #
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Read moreJacques Murith (left) and his son Alexandre press newly made wheels of cheese at Le Commun mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on July 7, 2013. #
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Read moreAlexandre Murith removes molds after making a wheel of cheese at La Proveta mountain pasture chalet on September 20, 2013. #
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Read moreTraditional carved wooden spoons hang from hooks in the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreCheesemaker Jacques Murith checks the cohesion of the newly made cheese with his fingers at the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet, on July 10, 2013. #
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Read moreNewly made wheels of cheese travel down a cable car for delivery to the ripening cellar in front of the Moleson summit at the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in western Switzerland, on July 17, 2013. #
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Read moreAlexandre Murith transports wheels of cheese in the ripening cellar in Gruyeres, on July 7, 2013. #
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Read moreFireworks, launched from the summit of Moleson mountain, ahead of Swiss National Day at the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on July 31, 2013. The chalet was lit using a flash and long exposure. #
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Read moreJacques Murith walks down the rindya (a dialect word for the return to the plains) on the last day of the season at La Proveta mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on October 12, 2013. #
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Read moreA cross hangs on the entrance of the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, photographed on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreCows graze in the late afternoon in the Tsermon mountain pasture chalet in Gruyeres, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreA curious cow, in a field at the Tsermon mountain pasture in Gruyeres, Switzerland, on July 30, 2013. #
Reuters/Denis Balibouse
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