The company WOERLE

Love of nature, passion for one of humanity's oldest foods ... and the best hay milk - these are the ingredients from which our cheese from the Salzburg Lake District and Mondsee Region has been made for more than 135 years.
The round cheese is cut and presented by a Woerle employee

The best cheese by tradition

It all began in 1889. Back then, Johann Baptist Woerle fulfilled a a long-held dream of founding Austria's first Emmentaler cheese dairy in the Salzburg lake district. For this he not only hired the best cheesemakers in the country. He also recognised early on how important high-quality milk is for the taste of delicious, natural cheese. That's why he only used the finest, daily fresh hay milk from happy cows for WOERLE cheese and soon made WOERLE one of the leading cheese dairies in Austria.

The secret of hay milk quality...

Five generations later, WOERLE is still a family business. We continue and develop the legacy of the visionary hay milk pioneer from the Salzburg lake district with the most modern methods and the highest level of expertise.

The WOERLE Purity Law issued by Johann Baptist Woerle in 1889 plays an important role in this. His principle was: “Connected to nature. Committed to purity. For the love of cheese.” At the time, he could only guess how important this motto would become in today's world.

Father Gerhard Woerle and son Gerrit Woerle seal their word with a handshake

... conserved and implemented
as ever

Even today, almost 360 employees work day after day according to the guidelines he set up five principles to achieve the worldwide success and the consistently high quality standards of WOERLE cheese. And we still only use high-quality hay milk.

Would you like to find out more about our company in the Salzburg Lake District? Do you have questions about our hay milk products? Call us or write to us - we're here for you!

 

Facts & figures 2025:
  • Number of employees (approx.):
    375
  • apprentices
    9
  • Nationalities
    28
The 3 ancestors and hay milk pioneers of the Woerle cheese dairy

Quality cannot be left to chance

WOERLE cheese has been known for its high quality for more than 135 years. WOERLE ensures that this remains so by adhering to the principles of success handed down from generation to generation. They are based on the "WOERLE Purity Law of 1889" created by company founder Johann Baptist Woerle.

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Awards & prizes

WOERLE at Land schafft Leben Podcast

What at first glance appears to be a simple piece of cheese is in fact the result of hard work, great responsibility, and living tradition. Gerrit Woerle talks with Hannes Royer about the complex world of cheesemaking—from the importance of hay milk and quality criteria to the creation of processed cheese.
It quickly becomes clear: Without close cooperation with regional farmers and the preservation of small-scale farms, sustainable food production in Austria would be unthinkable.