Switzerland is a country of grass. Almost 80% of the cultivated land is unsuitable for agriculture and is mainly used for livestock. Dairy farming is a very important sector of agriculture. Its share in the production of agricultural products is about 20%. About 1/3 of the milk produced annually is processed into 450 different types of cheese in more than 60 cheese factories registered in Switzerland.
Establishing and surviving in this saturated cheese market is not easy. Those who want to do so must have a distinctive, credible, and not-so-easy-to-understand advantage that significantly differentiates them from their competitors.
In English, this is called a Unique Selling Proposition, abbreviated as USP, and it can be some advantage in the price or quality segment, or even an additional service that offers a clear advantage to the target consumer group. Vainly claiming that you produce good cheese is not enough, because this is already a prerequisite for the cheese to enter the market at all.
Appenzell is a region in Switzerland where a spicy, high-fat, semi-hard cheese has been produced since the Middle Ages. During the ripening period, the cheese is cured in a secret herbal brine, which gives the cheese its unique flavor. The exact spices used in this herbal brine have been a closely guarded secret for centuries and are not disclosed.
Since 1942, the Appenzell Cheese Association has been ensuring that the cheese produced in around 60 different villages and cheese factories has its place on the market. With the slogan “Discover Switzerland’s spiciest secret ”, the organization manages to draw the attention of consumers to a 700 -year-old tradition and at the same time emphasizes the USP – “ secret recipe ” and “ uniquely spicy ” . The advertising characters are shepherds from the Alps, dressed in traditional clothing. Their silence once again emphasizes and brings to the fore the secret of the unique spicy taste.
In humorous TV and online commercials, various celebrities try to trick three silent gentlemen into revealing their secrets – so far in vain.
Thus, the legend surrounding this secret herbal brine became a USP known throughout the country and became the trademark of Appenzell cheese.
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