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Switzerland says sorry! The fondue invasion

In our satirical video format, Swiss comedian and director Patrick Karpiczenko apologises for Switzerland’s transgressions – this time for the Cheese Union, a mafia-like cartel that has flooded the world with cheese.

Cheese Union? Even in Switzerland only those over 40 still remember this cartel-like organisation that steered the production and sale of Swiss cheese for nearly a century – and they remember it only because the union sponsored the Swiss national ski team in the 1990s and dressed them in legendarily embarrassing cheese-outfits. However, from 1914 to 1999 the union was a powerful institution in Switzerland whose arm reached far out into the world – a world it flooded with subsidised cheese.

Satirist Patrick Karpiczenko has taken on this story about Swiss cheese history and the globalisation of fondue in his new video and says sorry to the world.

If you want to know more about the Cheese Union, we recommend these texts from our archive:

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Schweizer Skistars Paul Accola und Franz Heinzer

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The cheese collective

This content was published on A look back at the eventful history of the Swiss Cheese Union, a monopoly founded at the insistence of the federal authorities.

Read more: The cheese collective
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Or take a look at the sources used for the video:

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Woman holding up the roof of a chalet

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Living and working in Switzerland

This content was published on This is a guide to everything you need to know about life in Switzerland. PLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDERPLACEHOLDER

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR