 In the 1930s, a group of 76 Gruyère producing families felt that government regulations were allowing cheesemakers to compromise the qualities that made good Gruyère so special.They withdrew from the government's Gruyère program, and "created" their own cheese - L'Etivaz - named for the village around which they all lived.They founded a cooperative in 1932, and the first cheese cellars were built in 1934.