Before Robert E. Hardell came into the cheese world, our Swiss was not the same. While it still had holes, they were inconsistently formed and made, frustrating cheesemakers everywhere. Hardell discovered a culture system to bring us uniformly-made eyes and a faster Swiss cheese process.

In the spring of 1940, a farewell party was held for Robert E. Hardell of Sugarcreek at the village’s community hall, attended by managers of 25 cheese factories in the area.

The factory managers were paying tribute to a scientist who was responsible for the holes in Swiss cheese, Hardell having established the Bulgaria culture system of making cheese.

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Photo by Patrick Hoesly