Teona, Swiss Local Adventures
Auteur
META DESCRIPTION (152 chars):
Daniela Thierstein runs Alp Signswiler in the Justistal valley above Interlaken. She produces 700 wheels of cheese every summer. We take small groups to meet her.
TAGS: alp signswiler, justistal, daniela thierstein, swiss alpine cheese, cheese farm interlaken, bernese oberland, swiss dairy farm, swiss local adventures partner, farm tour interlaken, alpkäse
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IMAGE 1 — HEADER (avant le premier paragraphe)
Quoi : Portrait de Daniela au travail — devant le chaudron ou à l'entrée de la ferme, regard naturel (pas posé)
Alt text : "Daniela Thierstein, alpine cheesemaker at Alp Signswiler, Justistal valley above Interlaken"
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High above the lakes of Interlaken, tucked into a valley so remote it feels forgotten by time, Daniela Thierstein begins her day before sunrise.
By the time most visitors to the Bernese Oberland open their eyes, she has already lit the fire beneath the copper cauldron — the Chäschessi — and the first batch of alpine cheese is already taking shape.
This is Alp Signswiler. And this is where our Farm Tour takes you.
A VALLEY WITH A 300-YEAR TRADITION
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The Justistal isn't on most tourist maps. Stretched 7.5 kilometers between the Sigriswilergrat and the Güggisgrat ridges, the valley sits above Sigriswil in the Bernese Oberland — accessible only by foot or 4x4 from Büffelboden.
It has been home to alpine farmers since long before Switzerland became Switzerland. Since 1739, the valley's families gather every September for the Chästeilet — an ancient ceremony where the summer's cheese is distributed among farmers according to how much milk each cow produced. No lawyers. No contracts. Just tradition, trust, and 300 years of keeping one's word.
700 WHEELS OF CHEESE. ONE SUMMER.
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Daniela produces around 700 wheels of cheese between late May and September — the full alpine season. Each wheel is made by hand, the way her family has always made it: milk goes into the copper cauldron, heat is applied, the curd is cut and stirred, and the result is pressed into the form — the mold — where it becomes the round, golden wheels you'll see lining her cellar shelves.
When you arrive for our Farm Tour, you'll often catch the process mid-stream. The cheese is out of the cauldron and already shaping by 9am — which means what you witness isn't a demonstration. It's the real work of a real morning.
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IMAGE 2 (après "It's the real work of a real morning." — avant "THE CHUCHELI BREAKFAST")
Quoi : Le chaudron de cuivre avec la vapeur, ou les fromages dans leurs formes, ou la cave avec les meules alignées
Alt text : "Traditional Swiss cheese making at Alp Signswiler — copper cauldron and ageing wheels in the cellar"
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THE CHUCHELI BREAKFAST
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After watching Daniela at work, her team sets the table in the Chucheli — a warm, timber-beamed gathering room — for an alpine breakfast that follows the same logic as everything else on the farm: local, seasonal, made here.
Fresh cheese. Butter that came from the grass outside the window. Bread baked the same morning. Coffee that actually warms you up at 1,400 metres.
This isn't a tourist breakfast. It's what the farmers eat.
ABOUT DANIELA
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Daniela Thierstein has been working Alp Signswiler for years. She is part of a community of about 15 farming families whose collective herd of 250 cows grazes the valley each summer. She knows every animal by name. She knows the grass by month. And she knows, better than anyone, that the best cheese comes from patience — not shortcuts.
She'll tell you this herself, in Swiss German, with a smile.
You might not understand every word. But you'll understand exactly what she means.
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IMAGE 3 (après "...exactly what she means." — avant "HOW TO VISIT WITH US")
Quoi : Vue panoramique du Justistal avec vaches au premier plan et la ferme visible, ou groupe petit-déjeuner dans le Chucheli
Alt text : "The Justistal alpine valley above Interlaken, home to Alp Signswiler — 250 cows and 15 farming families"
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HOW TO VISIT WITH US
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The Alp Signswiler Farm Tour departs from Interlaken at 8:00am. On a clear day, guests take the short trail from Büffelboden through the valley — the first views of the farm appearing just as the morning light hits the ridge above. On wet days, we drive directly to the farm.
We arrive at 9:00am and stay until 11:30, when Daniela's team begins their lunch service.
Groups are maximum 8 people — always.
→ [Book the Farm Tour — /en/farm-tour]
After the visit, Daniela's cheese is available for purchase directly on the farm. Cash only. CHF 20/kg.
PRACTICAL INFO
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Season: Late May to September
Access: Büffelboden — 20 min walk or direct by car in bad weather
Language: Swiss German (your SLA guide translates everything)
What to bring: Warm layers, walking shoes, appetite, cash for cheese
Max group size: 8 guests | Price: CHF 139/person
Also read:
→ We Left Interlaken at 8am. By 9:15, We Were Eating Breakfast With 250 Swiss Cows.
→ Seven Hundred Wheels. One Summer. What Actually Happens Inside a Swiss Alpine Dairy.
*Written by Teona, Swiss Local Adventures
[Photo : Pierre devant la ferme ou dans le Justistal]