It was thanks to the help of many wonderful people that I finally got to meet a person, who, up until then, I had only heard about remotely. And for obvious reasons: he is pretty much the father of modern dairying in Bhutan – a towering figure who is behind beekeeping in Bhutan and the nice and yeasty Red Panda beer, if you will.
If you guessed it, yes, you are right! I had the pleasure of meeting with Dasho Fritz Maurer – a Swiss-born Bhutanese – at his Swiss Guest House on the hilly outskirts of the small Chamkhar Town.
The story of how I ended up meeting with such an iconic figure is a literally cheesy story – one defined by my quest to become a cheese-maker myself. And although I am bashful at conversations myself, Dasho opened up some really cool conversations about varieties of cheeses in the world, the finesse involved in crafting the best cheeses and challenges working with such a delicate thing as dairy milk. I realize that there is much I do not know yet, and that there are much I can never hope to truly know. Nonetheless, that makes me very eager to get my hands milky and make some dank good cheese down the long line.
A regular glass of good ol’ draft beer. Deliciouszzz
Alongside cheese-laden talks were the laughable reminiscences of Dasho – how Phobjikha Valley in 60s was pretty much a hidden land receiving very few cranes in the winter. In fact the Swiss were the ones to built a road leading into the vale cusped away in a horse-shoe ring of the Black Mountain Ranges. In fact I am pleasantly surprised to learn that a good few of the agricultural revolutions in Bhutan – like good ol’ Desiree potatoes – are thanks to the Swiss friends of Bhutan. For instance, the famous cheese factory in Sha Gogona was a work of Dasho himself before the government made Bumthang the focal place for Swiss inter-cooperation in Bhutan. Oh, how I wish it was Phobjikha Valley where Dasho worked and settled! We would have a much more vibrant dairy and agro scene then!
And turning away from that warm reverie; On top of graciously hosting me at his guesthouse, Dasho also kindly made time to show me around his craft beer brewery and the Bathpalythang dairy processing factory where he makes his wonderful Gouda and emmental-style cheeses.
One of the beautiful Swiss Guest House buildings
To say the least, I am super grateful to Dasho for making time and space for me amid his busy schedule, and to all the people who made this meeting possible! I hope to live to dasho’s inspiring footsteps and hopefully add another note to Bhutan’s cheese-making scene however small and humble…
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