Ueli Moser

Owner and cheese maker at BonCas
Dotzigen (Bern canton), Switzerland
 

Ueli Moser grew up in a family of cheese makers in the Thurgau canton in central eastern Switzerland. His father as well as the master Ueli chose to do his apprenticeship under both produced traditional hard and semi hard cheeses like Emmentaler, Tilsiter and Rahmkaese. And so did young Moser who after his years of learning the craft returned to his Dad's operation.

At the age of 22 Moser decided to explore the world and other cheese traditions and traveled to South America. After a few rather bizarre stints in Argentina and Uruguay he flew back to Europe and settled in France. He immediately fell in love with the soft cheeses of Normandy and Brittany where he worked in a small yet serious Fromagerie. Moser stayed a few years and enjoyed not just the cheeses but the way of life in France in general. His return to Switzerland happened upon a call for help from his father.

 Although he went back to his roots and to crafting the big wheels he had been around all and producing most of his life the fire for his new found love kept on burning within. When in the early nineties the occasion rose to buy a small but affordable cheese factory Moser didn't waste any time. His life didn't become easier by commuting between his fathers factory in Lustdorf and his own new place in the tiny village of Dotzigen, in a western area named the lake land. But producing what was closest to his heart - soft cheeses of all kinds and shapes - made him a happier man.

And it enriched Swiss cheese consumers. In a country where 80% of cheeses are hard, aged, large wheels the new, cute, soft little creations were more than welcomed. Moser quickly found his style - a mix of traditional techniques and innovative applications. In 1996 the by now famous Riesling x Sylvaner brought him the very first award, a gold medal in the Cheese Olympics. Many more followed.
 
 In 1998 Moser decided to solely concentrate on his own venture, the BonCas dairy. The time he saved by not traveling between one and the other end of Switzerland anymore he used to come up with new ideas and deepen the impact he made on the Swiss cheese market. Not only did Moser launch new items like the Chardonnay Truffle - a soft cheese that is cut open by hand and filled with a delicate mix of Mascarpone and black truffle shavings -, the Huus Chaesli or the Buure Weichchaesli. He also created a line of organic cheeses for which he combines organic milk, wines, nuts, etc.
 
 Ueli Moser is married to his partner in business, Patricia and has three children.