In Switzerland, summer sometimes lasts from May to October: not for tourists, but for the herds driven up to the mountain pastures, and since 2023 the living tradition of the mountain pasture season has been included on the Representative List of the World Cultural Heritage. In Gruyère, summer grazing has existed since the Middle Ages and has traditionally been accompanied by cheese production.

Until the middle of the 19th century, cheese in Gruyère was made exclusively during the alpine pasture season: 1,200 alpine chalets still stand today as testament to the importance of this economic activity. The development of cheese dairies on the plains, the First World War and the ups and downs of agricultural policy put this activity under heavy pressure. But the wood-fired production of Alpine PDO Gruyère and Alpine PDO Vacherin Fribourgeois still ensures that these traditions are rooted in a living social reality, a well-maintained landscape and world-renowned products.

Under the authority of the master herdsman, this life in the chalet implied an intimate knowledge of the mountains and the herds. As the practice spread to the Pre-Alps, the Jura and Savoie, it also gave rise to a range of knowledge and skills, linked to songs - the famous Ranz des vaches - and the upkeep of mountain pasture buildings (boissellerie, tavillon, etc.), not forgetting calendar practices such as the inalpe (or poya, when the herds come up) and the désalpe (ourindyà in patois).

Built in 2012 by the Coopérative fribourgeoise des producteurs de fromages d'alpage, the Caves de La Tzintre centralise most of the current production of Gruyère d'alpage AOP (up to 6,000 wheels) and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP d'alpage (up to 8,500 wheels).