What Do You Gift the Swiss President? PM Modi Chose 3 Award-Winning Indian Cheeses

What do you gift the president of a country famous for cheese? Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an appropriately creative answer: three award-winning Indian cheeses. During Swiss President Guy Parmelin’s state visit to India, PM Modi presented him with Gulmarg, Konark and Yeoor, three artisanal cheeses that showcase India’s growing presence on the international cheesemaking map.

The unusual diplomatic gifts were presented during Parmelin’s three-day state visit to India and offered an interesting twist on traditional gift-giving between world leaders. Rather than choosing Swiss-style souvenirs alone, the selection put Indian craftsmanship and homegrown food innovation at the centre.

The three cheeses also created a subtle culinary bridge between India and Switzerland. While Gulmarg follows a French-style Brie tradition, Konark draws from French Tomme-style cheesemaking and Yeoor takes inspiration from the Swiss Gruyère tradition while adding distinctly Indian touches.

Which Three Indian Cheeses Did PM Modi Gift Guy Parmelin?

The three cheeses presented to the Swiss president were Gulmarg, Konark and Yeoor. All three are associated with India’s emerging artisanal cheese movement and represent different approaches to adapting international cheesemaking traditions to Indian ingredients, tastes and craftsmanship.

Gulmarg: The Award-Winning Brie-Style Cheese

The first cheese in the gift selection is Gulmarg, a French-style Brie made from pasteurised cow’s milk. It is described as soft and creamy, with a distinctive heart-shaped form and a snowy-white rind.

Its flavour profile includes earthy and mushroom-like notes, characteristics commonly associated with soft-ripened Brie-style cheeses. But Gulmarg’s identity goes beyond its French inspiration.

The cheese received a Super Gold award at the 2026 Mundial do Queijo do Brasil, an international competition for cheese and dairy products. The recognition was particularly significant because it placed an Indian-made cheese among products competing on an international stage.

PM Modi had also publicly highlighted the achievement after Indian cheeses won multiple medals at the competition, drawing attention to the country’s expanding artisanal dairy sector.

Konark: French Technique With an Indian Identity

Konark is a French Tomme-style cheese with a rustic natural rind. It has a supple texture and savoury, earthy flavour profile, followed by a lemony finish.

Konark has also received recognition at major international cheese competitions. It won Gold at the 2023 World Cheese Awards in Norway and later received a Silver award in Switzerland in 2025.

The cheese illustrates an important trend in India’s artisanal food industry: Indian producers are increasingly experimenting with established European cheesemaking styles while developing products that retain their own identity.

Rather than attempting to simply reproduce a European cheese, producers are creating interpretations that can stand on their own.

Yeoor: India’s Gruyère-Inspired Cheese

The third cheese, Yeoor, perhaps makes the connection with Switzerland most obvious. It is an Alpine-style cheese inspired by Swiss Gruyère and is aged for approximately eight to nine months.

The ageing process gives Yeoor a flavour profile described as nutty, sweet and herbaceous. Its rind is decorated with rose petals and fennel, adding an unmistakable Indian visual and aromatic element to a cheese inspired by Alpine traditions.

Yeoor can also be melted and used in preparations such as fondue and grilled dishes, giving it versatility beyond a traditional cheese board.

For a gift to a Swiss president, the choice is particularly fitting. Switzerland has an internationally recognised cheese heritage, and presenting a Swiss-inspired cheese made in India creates a culinary conversation between the two countries.

Why Give Cheese to the Swiss President?

At first glance, gifting cheese to a Swiss president might seem like an unusual choice. Switzerland is globally associated with cheeses such as Gruyère and Emmental, so choosing Indian artisanal cheeses adds an element of friendly culinary contrast.

But that contrast is precisely what makes the gift interesting. The selection effectively says that India’s food industry is not only consuming global culinary traditions but also interpreting and adapting them.

Yeoor’s Gruyère inspiration makes the connection particularly clear, while Gulmarg and Konark demonstrate the broader range of styles being explored by Indian cheesemakers.

India’s Artisanal Cheese Industry Gets a Global Spotlight

The gifts also highlight a larger change taking place in India’s food landscape. Artisanal cheesemaking has been growing as producers experiment with European techniques, local ingredients and flavours suited to Indian palates.

Indian cheese has historically included traditional regional varieties, but modern artisanal producers are increasingly making Brie-style, Tomme-style, Alpine-style and other international varieties.

International awards are providing additional visibility to these products and helping demonstrate that high-quality cheesemaking is not limited to countries traditionally associated with the craft.

Gulmarg’s Super Gold Win Was a Major Milestone

Gulmarg’s success at the 2026 Mundial do Queijo do Brasil was particularly notable. The competition provided Indian cheesemakers with an international platform, and Indian products secured several medals.

Gulmarg won the top Super Gold recognition among the Indian entries mentioned in the reports. Other Indian products also earned Gold and Silver medals, reflecting the breadth of the country’s emerging artisanal dairy sector.

The recognition helped bring attention to cheesemakers who are working in a category that is still relatively niche in India compared with more established dairy products.

Who Makes the Cheeses?

The three cheeses gifted to Parmelin were handcrafted by Eleftheria Cheese, an artisanal creamery based in Mumbai. The company has built its range around international cheesemaking techniques combined with its own Indian interpretation of flavours and presentation.

Founder Mausam Narang began making cheese more than a decade ago. What started as a home-kitchen experiment eventually developed into a dedicated artisanal cheesemaking business.

The company’s success at international competitions has helped bring wider attention to India’s premium cheese sector.

From Corporate Job to Artisanal Cheesemaker

Mausam Narang’s journey adds another interesting layer to the story. She began experimenting with cheese in 2013 while working in a corporate job, initially making it in her mother’s kitchen.

By 2015, she had decided to leave her job and pursue cheesemaking professionally, eventually building Eleftheria into a recognised artisanal cheese brand.

The business has since expanded its portfolio to around 20 varieties, ranging from fresh cheeses to aged creations and styles inspired by different cheesemaking traditions around the world.

Indian Flavours Meet International Cheesemaking

One of the defining characteristics of the modern Indian artisanal cheese movement is the willingness to experiment.

Rather than treating cheese as something that must follow a strictly European template, Indian cheesemakers are introducing familiar local flavours and ingredients. This can make the products more approachable to Indian consumers while giving them a distinctive identity in international markets.

That philosophy is visible across the wider Eleftheria range, where traditional Indian ingredients have been used alongside global cheesemaking techniques.

PM Modi’s Cheese Gift Wasn’t the Only Present

The three cheeses were part of a wider selection of Indian gifts presented during Parmelin’s visit. PM Modi also gifted the Swiss president a hand-carved Kashmiri walnut wood wall panel.

The panel represented another aspect of India’s cultural craftsmanship, with traditional imagery and intricate woodcarving reflecting Kashmir’s artistic heritage.

For Caroline Parmelin, the Swiss president’s wife, a Kutchi shawl placed in a Sadeli box was presented. The gift highlighted Gujarat’s weaving and decorative craft traditions.

Thus, the overall selection extended beyond food and brought together India’s artisanal dairy sector, Kashmiri woodcraft and Gujarati textile and decorative traditions.

A Gift With a Diplomatic Message

Diplomatic gifts often carry symbolic meaning. They can introduce visiting leaders to a country’s heritage, craftsmanship and contemporary achievements.

In this case, the cheeses represent an interesting combination of tradition and modern innovation. They draw inspiration from established European cheesemaking styles but are produced by an Indian artisanal brand.

That makes the gift particularly relevant during a visit focused on strengthening India-Switzerland ties across areas including trade, investment, technology and people-to-people connections.

India and Switzerland: A Cheese Connection

Cheese may have been the playful headline of the gift exchange, but the symbolism is more substantial. Switzerland’s reputation for cheesemaking is deeply established, while India’s artisanal cheese sector is comparatively young in its modern form.

By gifting Indian cheeses to the Swiss president, India effectively placed its emerging cheesemaking culture alongside one of the world’s best-known cheese traditions.

Yeoor’s Gruyère inspiration makes that connection especially striking. It takes a recognisable Alpine idea and gives it an Indian interpretation through ageing, flavour and presentation.

Why These Cheeses Stand Out

• Gulmarg: A heart-shaped French-style Brie that won Super Gold at the 2026 Mundial do Queijo do Brasil.
• Konark: A French Tomme-style cheese recognised at international cheese competitions.
• Yeoor: An Alpine-style cheese inspired by Swiss Gruyère and aged for around eight to nine months.
• Indian identity: The cheeses combine international techniques with ingredients, presentation and flavours associated with India.
• Artisanal craftsmanship: The selection highlights India’s growing premium and small-batch cheesemaking sector.

More Than a Cheese Board

The gift may have inspired plenty of playful headlines, but it represents something more meaningful than an unusual diplomatic souvenir. India’s artisanal food producers are increasingly finding recognition beyond the domestic market.

The success of cheeses such as Gulmarg, Konark and Yeoor shows how producers can use global techniques while developing products with their own identity.

For consumers, it also signals that India’s cheese culture is becoming more diverse. Beyond familiar processed cheese, mozzarella and cheddar, there is a growing world of small-batch Indian cheeses worth exploring.

Conclusion: PM Modi’s ‘Cheesy’ Gift With an Indian Twist

PM Modi’s gift of three Indian cheeses to Swiss President Guy Parmelin was both unexpected and carefully chosen. Gulmarg, Konark and Yeoor each represent a different chapter in India’s evolving artisanal cheesemaking story, while Yeoor’s inspiration from Swiss Gruyère creates an especially fitting connection with the visiting Swiss leader.

Gulmarg’s Super Gold win in Brazil, Konark’s international awards and Yeoor’s Alpine character demonstrate that Indian cheesemakers are increasingly comfortable competing on a global stage.

And with a Kashmiri walnut wood panel and a Kutchi shawl in a Sadeli box also featuring among the gifts, the exchange went beyond cheese. It offered a compact showcase of India’s food innovation, traditional craftsmanship and regional artistic heritage.

So, what do you gift the Swiss President? Apparently, three very good Indian cheeses — with a little diplomacy on the side.