Photos: Rare cheeses from Switzerland highlight class at Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon
In an “Art You Can Taste: Six Small-Batch, Aged Cheeses” of Switzerland class, Jeanne and Uriah Carpenter at Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon tell the story behind some of the world’s rarest cheeses.
Cheese Class 1
Uriah Carpenter cuts a wheel of Rockflower, made by Gourmino master cheesemaker Silvio Schöpfer, during a cheese class Sunday at the Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon. The course is hosted by Uriah and his wife, Jeanne, a longtime cheese aficionado. The couple spent two weeks in Switzerland this summer touring small-batch cheese plants and meeting with cheesemakers.
Cheese Class 2
A wheel of Hornbacher, like this one being cut in Oregon on Sunday, was named the top cheese at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest. The cheese is only occasionally available in the U.S., typically at a few cheese shops on the East and West coasts.
Cheese Class 3
Jeanne Carpenter is the former director of the Dairy Business Innovation Center and has been teaching classes for more than 15 years. She spent nearly five years as a specialty cheese buyer for Madison-based Metcalfe’s Market before she and her husband, Uriah, at right, purchased the Firefly Coffeehouse in 2017.
Cheese Class 4
Uriah Carpenter prepares samples of Hornbacher, one of six cheeses from Switzerland that were the focus of a class Sunday at Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon. Hornbacher is made by Michael Spycher, who has four world titles to his name, one for Hornbacher, the other three for Gruyere.
Cheese Class 5
Beth Larimer, left, and her husband, Adam Enfield, of Oregon, were among the 25 people in a cheese class on Sunday at Firefly Coffeehouse who sampled Hornbacher, a world champion cheese made in the Swiss Alps. The cheese is named after a river that flows near the small cheese factory near Bern and has a taste that reminds many of a baked potato.
Cheese Class 6
Jen Sargent, an employee at Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon, shows off a 15-pound wheel of Hornbacher to students in a cheese class on Sunday. The cheese is only made in the Swiss Alps and is difficult to find in the U.S.
Cheese Class 9
Rockflower is a raw-milk cheese named for the wildflowers that grow in craggy, unforgiving tracts high up in the Swiss Alps.
Cheese Class 8
Hornbacher rarely makes an appearance in Wisconsin. The cheese, made in the Swiss Alps, won the 2024 World Championship Cheese Cotest but is only available at a few shops in the U.S. On Sunday, it was part a cheese class hosted by Uriah and Jeanne Carpenter, owners of Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon. The classes continue each Sunday through Nov. 1.
Cheese Class 7
Chris and Kristine Roelli, of Roelli Cheese Haus near Shullsburg, sample pieces of Rockflower, made by Gourmino master cheesemaker Silvio Schöpfer. The Roellis, whose plant makes award-winning cheeses, came to Oregon on Sunday to immerse themselves in cheese made in Switzerland, most of it difficult to find in the U.S.
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Samples of L’Etivaz AOP, a raw milk alpine cheese made over open fire, during a cheese class, An Art You Can Taste: Six Small-Batch, Aged Cheeses of Switzerland, by Jeanne and Uriah Carpenter at Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon, Wis. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Jeanne and Uriah Carpenter display photos from their visit to Switzerland, including the making of L’Etivaz AOP, a raw milk alpine cheese made over open fire, during a cheese class, An Art You Can Taste: Six Small-Batch, Aged Cheeses of Switzerland, at Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon, Wis. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The samples include a cheese made over an open fire in copper kettles and another that won the World Championship Cheese Contest in 2024.
