Controlled melting pleasure for the palate
Cheese The Valais Dairy Association is working with the Brig-based agency Visucom to secure AOC certification for its raclette cheese.
Cheese The Valais Milk Association is fighting with the Bruges agency Visucom for an AOC designation for its raclette cheese.cows are not only sacred in India, but also in Valais - at least in advertising. With the same fighting spirit that the cloven-hoofed animals show at the traditional cow fights, the marketing commission for Valais cheese is also campaigning together with the Valais Milk Association for a protected designation (AOC) for raclette. Maurice Chevrier, President of the Valais Milk Association, is convinced that this cheese has its origins in Valais. This is where the original product is made from untreated raw milk according to traditional methods.
However, the associated high production costs make it difficult for Raclette du Valais to compete with industrially produced raclette products. In addition to Valais cheese, there are various other brands of fried cheese available to consumers - Raccard from Migros and Racletto from Coop are just two of them.
According to Chevrier, national market surveys have shown that the majority of the Swiss population spontaneously associate raclette with Valais. Even if the cheese on offer was not processed in the mountain canton. "This confusion is mainly due to the fact that producers outside of the canton of Valais have marketed their product with Valais names and terms or images for decades," the Milk Association President is convinced. The marketing commission for Valais cheese now wants to clarify the situation with a national campaign by the Bruges agency Visucom.
The creative team chose the Hérens cows as the key visual and placed some provocative headlines alongside them. Statements such as "Character and uniqueness are sacred to us Valaisans" or "We are clearly ahead when it comes to authenticity" are intended to put Valais at the top of consumers' minds as the region of origin for raclette.
Reconquering a type of cheese
The AOC application from the Valais has met with resistance from Raclette Suisse, among others. The association, which represents around 95% of all raclette producers, has a "positive attitude towards a regional AOC 'Valais Raclette'". However, the association is disconcerted that the term raclette should only be used for products from the Valais. After all, in the 1960s, cheese dairies outside the Valais were entrusted with raclette production, as the high demand could no longer be met. At around two kilograms, raclette today has the highest domestic per capita consumption of cheese, together with mozzarella. Around 14 percent of annual demand is met by Valais raclette cheese.
The Federal Office for Agriculture wants to put an end to the wrestling match over raclette this October. This is when a decision is to be made on the "Valais raclette" dossier, which has been on the table for six years.
Simone Keller
However, the associated high production costs make it difficult for Raclette du Valais to compete with industrially produced raclette products. In addition to Valais cheese, there are various other brands of fried cheese available to consumers - Raccard from Migros and Racletto from Coop are just two of them.
According to Chevrier, national market surveys have shown that the majority of the Swiss population spontaneously associate raclette with Valais. Even if the cheese on offer was not processed in the mountain canton. "This confusion is mainly due to the fact that producers outside of the canton of Valais have marketed their product with Valais names and terms or images for decades," the Milk Association President is convinced. The marketing commission for Valais cheese now wants to clarify the situation with a national campaign by the Bruges agency Visucom.
The creative team chose the Hérens cows as the key visual and placed some provocative headlines alongside them. Statements such as "Character and uniqueness are sacred to us Valaisans" or "We are clearly ahead when it comes to authenticity" are intended to put Valais at the top of consumers' minds as the region of origin for raclette.
Reconquering a type of cheese
The AOC application from the Valais has met with resistance from Raclette Suisse, among others. The association, which represents around 95% of all raclette producers, has a "positive attitude towards a regional AOC 'Valais Raclette'". However, the association is disconcerted that the term raclette should only be used for products from the Valais. After all, in the 1960s, cheese dairies outside the Valais were entrusted with raclette production, as the high demand could no longer be met. At around two kilograms, raclette today has the highest domestic per capita consumption of cheese, together with mozzarella. Around 14 percent of annual demand is met by Valais raclette cheese.
The Federal Office for Agriculture wants to put an end to the wrestling match over raclette this October. This is when a decision is to be made on the "Valais raclette" dossier, which has been on the table for six years.
Simone Keller
