Baldauf — Raw Milk, House Cultures, and 160 Years of Patience

An independent profile. bavariancheese.com is not owned by or affiliated with any cheesemaker — including this one.

Why this maker matters

Baldauf is what happens when a cheesemaker refuses every shortcut for five generations: raw milk only, silage-free hay milk only, own house cultures, calf rennet — and some 30,000 wheels resting in the cellars under Lindenberg. In an industry built on scale, this is the deliberate opposite, and the cheese tastes like the argument for it.

The story

1862: Martin Baldauf, a hat manufacturer, pivots to cheese trading. It’s an unlikely origin for a purist dynasty, but the family never looks back. Five generations later, Gebr. Baldauf runs three small village Sennereien — in Gestratz, Grünenbach, and Hopfen — working exclusively with Heumilch: silage-free raw milk from hay-fed cows.

The method is the message. No pasteurization, no bought-in cultures — the dairies keep their own house cultures — and traditional calf rennet. Wheels age in the company’s own cellars in Lindenberg, where around 30,000 of them rest at any given time. This is alpine cheesemaking as a long, patient craft, run as a business for over 160 years.

The cheeses

Baldauf Bergkäse — the flagship alpine wheel; Allgäuer Bergkäse →
Hochalpenkäse / Alpkäse — high-alpine expressions
Herb-seasoned Schnittkäse — the flavored semi-hard line
Bio (organic) lines
Limburger — Baldauf’s take on the washed-rind brick; Limburger →

Finding it in America

No US distribution for Baldauf could be verified — and for a raw-milk alpine specialist that’s no surprise: these are cheeses built for the region, not for export logistics. File it under reasons to visit the Westallgäu. Stateside, an aged domestic alpine-style cheese from a raw-milk American maker is the closest philosophical cousin — ask your cheesemonger.

Visiting

No public tour details could be confirmed — check the dairy’s site before planning a trip.