The goatherd of Bern

Visiting Adrian in Gantrisch Nature Park

Aged just 13, Adrian Mäder is a devoted goatherd. In the summer holidays each year, he and his parents make delicious goat’s cheese on Alp Bire in Gantrisch Nature Park. Those embarking on the family-friendly Alp Birehubel circular hike can stop off at the farm and try the cheese for themselves at the family’s snack bar.

From milk to cheese

Adrian herds the goats to their shed – each has its own place – and then he milks them. There is quite a lot of milk today, despite it being nearly the end of the Alpine summer. Adrian helps his mother make cheese whenever he is on the alp and has time – as he does today. He carries the full milk churns to the dining room and pours them into the large copper vat over the fire. It can fit around 120 litres of milk, which will make 12kg of cheese. When the milk reaches 37°C, they use a muslin cheese cloth and a lot of strength to lift the curd and press it into the moulds – tightly so there are absolutely no holes.

After 24 hours, Adrian takes the cheese out of the moulds and down to the cellar, where he salts it. When really fresh, goat’s cheese is soft and mild in flavour: just how Adrian likes it best. For those who prefer a more mature cheese, the wheels are stored for longer, being turned, cleaned and salted daily. After around four weeks, the cheese is dry and has quite a strong flavour. Adrian savours a piece of goat’s cheese every single day – he simply loves it.

“I sometimes pop down into the cellar and steal a bit of cheese.” Adrian says this with a cheeky glint in his eye.

A family tradition

The Mäder family have been making their Alpine goat’s cheese for two generations and sell it throughout the region. In the Alpine summer from mid-June to mid-September, they serve it in their snack bar, where they welcome hungry and thirsty hikers. Adrian especially likes to help his mother on Sundays, the busiest day, and looks forward to letting guests try – and hopefully love – their cheeses.

“It’s simply beautiful up here. This is where I feel most at home.” Adrian Mäder

Out and about in the nature park

Hikers can reach Alp Bire and the snack bar on the Alp Birehubel family-friendly circular hike. It begins at the postal bus stop “Gurnigel, Gantrischhütte” and ascends to the Oberen Gantrischhütte hut and then gently down to the idyllic lake Gantrischseeli. This small lake is nestled in expansive moorland and is surrounded by lush green meadows and the high Bernese Pre-Alps. Blue-green in colour, it’s a tempting place for hikers to make a stop and sit awhile. After a short break, it’s onwards and upwards: up a few metres in altitude and past the Mäder’s free grazing cattle to Alp Bire.

Devoted goatherd

When the summer holidays come to an end in mid-August, Adrian has to return to the valley and to school. This makes him quite sad, because the animals remain up on the alp until they make their Alpine descent in mid-September. It is not unusual for Adrian to sit at school thinking about his goats and cows, not listening to a word the teacher says. Luckily, he can still return to the alp and his animals on weekends and play with them or simply watch them for hours on end. Adrian knows for sure he will one day take over the farm from his parents. Ideally, he would like to have 20 goats, so he can also make cheese in the valley over the winter.