In Heidal and the rest of the Gudbrandsdalen, brown cheese and prim have roots all the way back to the 17th century, and probably longer. Heidal cheese originates from ancient traditions and became as we know it today in 1921.

Heidal lies at the top of Gudbrandsdalen at the gate to Jotunheimen. From time immemorial, butter has been churned and cheese made here. It was not until Setrane and from 1921 that the village got its first steam kiln, which later joined the Østlandsmeiriet, today known as Tine. When Tine shut down production in 1995, it was the seed of the "new" Heidal dairy which saw the light of day in 1999.