It is a semi-hard cow's-milk cheese, with a creamy consistency, light yellow colour, small irregular holes, and a mildly acidic taste.

[2] The cheese is similar to other Swedish hard cheeses whose manufacturing methods date back to perhaps the 13th century, but the name Svecia — from the Latin Suecia meaning "Sweden" — is a 20th-century invention, dating to 1920.

The curd is cut, stirred, and slowly drained, then heated back up to a temperature near 40 °C (104 °F) to drive off more moisture.

After salt is added, the curds are packed into moulds, loosely enough to leave the air pockets which make up Svecia's tiny holes.

After a soak in brine, bringing the total salt content of the cheese to 1.0–1.5 percent by weight, the cheese is aged in a dry environment for at least two months — sometimes up to more than a year.