Cheese-Loving Russians Turn to Switzerland for Emmental

At Intercheese AG’s headquarters in Switzerland, the phone barely stops ringing these days. A Russian voice is usually at the other end.

Since Aug. 7, when Vladimir Putin’s government banned many food imports from nations supporting sanctions due to the country’s role in the Ukraine crisis, at least 14 Russian importers have contacted Intercheese. The reason for the surge in business: Switzerland hasn’t joined the European Union, the U.S., Canada, Australia and Norway in penalizing Russia.