Obazda Fabrication

Here we show you all the steps from the farm to the finished Obazda, which ends up on your plate for you to enjoy.

Obazda – a very special cheese spread: creamy, spicy, versatile, and a genuine Bavarian cultural treasure. It is made by mixing mildly ripened Camembert with cream, butter, and spices – “obazen” in Bavarian dialect.

1. From the farm to the Alpine grove

Without milk, there would be no Obazda. But where does the milk come from? How does it get to Alpenhain? And how do we ensure the best quality?

Milk suppliers

The secret to good cheese lies in the milk. It comes from around 11,000 cows on 250 farms in the region—all of them family-run businesses with an average of 40 cows. Many have been working with Alpenhain for generations and are practically part of the family.

Acceptance

Regular deliveries bring approximately 225,000 liters of milk to Lehen every day. The quality of the milk and all raw materials is continuously checked—right from the moment of delivery. Every driver carries out a quick test before acceptance. The milk is only pumped out if the result is flawless.

Control

Regular deliveries bring around 225,000 liters of milk to Lehen every day. The quality of the milk and all raw materials is continuously checked—right from the moment of delivery. Every driver carries out a quick test before acceptance. The milk is only pumped out if the result is flawless.

2. From milk to raw cheese

But how do we turn liquid milk into solid cheese at the Alpenhain cheese dairy? We'll tell you here.

Pasteurization & Separation

The milk is pasteurized at 75°C in 15 seconds. It is separated into whey and cream in order to adjust the fat content as required. Employees regularly check the equipment and ensure quality.

Thickening

The milk is automatically heated to the right temperature and calcium, noble mold, and starter cultures are added. After thorough stirring, rennet causes the milk to curdle, forming the gelatinous mass known as curd—a process called “curdling” in cheese making, which takes about 30 minutes.

Curdled cheese

Once the curd has reached the right consistency, a cheese cutter divides it into grains so that the whey can drain off. For soft cheese, the curd remains coarser, while for semi-hard cheese it is cut finer. The master cheesemaker monitors the process and ensures the optimum consistency for filling the molds.

Molds

The cheese must then be portioned. To do this, the mixture is poured into the typical round Camembert molds. The molds have drainage holes in the bottom so that the whey can continue to drain off.

Dripping

During production, the cheese continuously loses liquid. To remove the remaining whey, the wheels are stored on climate-controlled conveyor belts in a warm atmosphere for 10–12 hours and turned as needed. The drained whey is further processed, e.g., for lactose, protein drinks, or baby food.

3. The maturation process for Camembert

Camembert – the basis for almost all of our products, such as Obazda, baked Camembert, grilled Camembert, and Camembert cream. But how does the cheese become the typical Camembert?

Dry salting of the loaves

Finally, the loaves are removed from the molds and evenly coated with table salt in a dry salting facility. This protects them from harmful bacteria and promotes the formation of a rind.

Mature

During the several days of maturation in humid maturation cellars, the wheels are turned regularly. This allows the typical noble mold layer to develop. The master cheesemaker continuously checks the weight, mold formation, and smell to ensure the highest quality.

4. From Camembert to Obazda

Now all that remains is to mix the ingredients, package the Obazda, and prepare the pallets for transport to your supermarket.

Mix

The matured Camembert is weighed precisely with cream, butter, cream cheese, and spices and mixed in a cooking and stirring container to make Obazda—or “o'bazd” in Bavarian. Depending on the variety, fried onions or spring onions are added.

Filling

The finished Obazda is filled into the typical hexagonal tubs, securely sealed and closed – up to 7,000 tubs (125g) per hour. For large consumers such as beer gardens, canteens, or bakeries, the product is filled into buckets or terrines. Regular laboratory samples ensure quality.

Packaging

After the legally required weight check, a scanner checks the contents of the Obazda. A robot then stows the hexagonal cups in transport packaging that ensures safe shipping to supermarkets.

Palletizing

A robot stacks the transport packaging on pallets and transports them to the refrigerated high-bay warehouse at below 6°C. The continuous cold chain ensures maximum shelf life right up to the supermarket shelf.

5. Obazda cheese – authentic Bavarian delight

Now all that remains is to mix the ingredients, package the Obazda, and prepare the pallets for transport to your supermarket.

Recipe ideas with our original Obazda

Blattsalat mit Obazda-Dressing

Obazda-Kugeln mit Brezn

Bayrische Zwiebel-Kartoffel-Suppe mit Original Obazda

Tassenstrudel mit Obazda

Discover all recipes

Bavaria's most popular Obazda

Alpenhain Obazda Classic

The creamy, savoury cheese spread from Bavaria with Camembert made from fresh Alpine milk, cream and spices.

Alpenhain Obazda spring onion

The creamy, savoury cheese spread from Bavaria with camembert made from fresh Alpine milk, refined with spring onions.

Alpenhain Obazda roasted onion

The creamy, savoury cheese spread from Bavaria with Camembert made from fresh Alpine milk, refined with roasted onions.

Franzi Preuß as brand ambassador

German biathlete Franziska Preuß is the face of the traditional Alpenhain brand—a partnership for regional pride and quality.

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Beer garden at home

On a fresh pretzel, on farmhouse bread, as a spread for sandwiches, burgers, and wraps, in salad dressings, or as an ingredient in hot dishes—Original Obazda from Alpenhain is always a true cheese delight and brings that authentic beer garden feeling to your home. To allow the cheese to develop its full flavor, it is best to leave it at room temperature for a few minutes before eating and then stir it once. This makes the Obazda particularly creamy.