In the heart of the Vercors Regional Natural Park, between Drôme and Isère departments, you can discover a characteristic cheese of the region : the Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage. This cheese is made from cow's milk and has been made since the Middle Ages, when it was used as a bargaining chip by the farmers to pay for their farming rights. This cheese obtained the AOC in 1998 and then the PDO (European translation of the French AOC) in 2001. Obtaining this sign of quality has also helped to safeguard the Villarde, the breed of cow on the plateau that was on the verge of extinction before the PDO was created, like many hardy breeds with low milk production. A small number of producers make Bleu du Vercors PDO, according to strict specifications. The cheese is made from the milk of three breeds of cows: Villarde, Montbéliarde and Abondance. The animals graze for a minimum of 180 days a year and in winter receive local fodder from the PDO area. No GMOs, no silage is fed to the cows (and the use of wrapping is limited).
The Villarde, emblematic breed of the Vercors Regional Natural Park
Today, the PDO has only 9 farm producers and a dairy cooperative (Vercors Lait) that groups together about 30 farmers. In Lans-en-Vercors, in Isère department, we had the pleasure to meet Pierre, Pauline and Marjolaine, who produce Bleu at Ferme de la Grand'Mèche. Pierre Guillot is the owner of this family farm. Pierre doesn't work alone on his farm. Following the retirement of his partner a few years ago, he hired Alexandre, a cheese maker, to manage the milk processing. In addition, Pauline (Pierre's daughter) and Marjolaine (a school friend of Pauline) are working as apprentices on the farm this year, as part of their CS training. They are the ones who guided us through the farm and the processing laboratory, and even allowed us to help during the Bleu making!
At Ferme de la Grand'Mèche, Pierre raises 35 dairy cows of the Abondance, Montbéliarde and Villarde breeds (the local one), the three breeds authorised to produce Bleu du Vercors PDO. Annual milk production is around 6000 litres per cow. The farm has 80 hectares of meadows, which feed the cows in the summer by grazing and in winter by hay. The cows go out to pasture at the end of April and only return to the barn around October-November (depending on the climate). Front-wire grazing (wire moved every day) allows the animals to have grass that is always fresh and to make good use of the production of the meadows. The peak work period is during haymaking, which lasts on average 3 weeks. In terms of animal health, the only problems Pierre has noted are lameness (especially this year with the rainy weather and more so with the Montbeliarde cows) and fertility, which is a cause for culling. On the whole, the herd is nevertheless hardy and well adapted to its territory.
Pauline and Nougatine, the Villarde cow of the herd
It takes about 40 litres of milk to produce a standard Bleu du Vercors of 4-4.5 kilos. The process of making Bleu du Vercors is precise and demanding, but is well rewarded when the final product is obtained! The maturing process lasts at least 21 days and, in order to allow oxygenation and thus the development of the mould that gives it its name, the cheese is pricked with a needle on the 6th and 12th day.
From left to right: Photo 1. Slicing the curd; Photo 2. Marjolaine stirring the curd; Photo 3. Moulding and removing whey; Photo 4. Pauline turns the cheeses in the mould; Photo 5 and 6. Ripening of the cheeses.
The ferme de la Grand'Mèche transforms 3/4 of its milk (into Vercors blue cheese but also in Skyr, Saint Marcellin and a whole bunch of other cheeses that we enjoyed ;) ). The range of products sold has continued to grow since the beginning of the milk processing at the farm. The aim is to make the most of the milk produced by the farm's cows and to avoid wastage! The shop also sells wine, honey, eggs, goat's cheese and other products from local farms.
Milk processing began on the farm in 2006, immediately associated with direct sales because it was more logical and profitable for the farmers (especially in comparison with markets). The farm still reserves 1/4 of its milk for sale to the cooperative. The purchase price of milk by the cooperative on the plateau is currently around 400€/1000L in conventional agriculture
For Pierre, the transition to a livestock system associated with a processing/direct sales workshop was not complicated. In 2006, when the processing activity started, the reduction in the quantities of milk sold to the cooperative was not a problem. This is less the case for the farms that wish to switch to this system today. Indeed, the cooperative has recently modernise its dairy factory and the investments made do not allow it to reduce its milk supply. Conversely, the cooperative is in constant search of milk. Today, the dairy's lack of flexibility regarding the volume of milk collected is a barrier for farmers who wish to keep milk in order to create a processing workshop.
The breeding practices at the Ferme de la Grand'Mèche are more or less in line with the organic specifications, so it would be easy to obtain this additional quality label. That's why Pierre wants to carry out a study on the transition of the farm to organic farming, in order to analyse the economic and technical interest in making the transition. Because producing organic milk when you sell a processed product with high added value yourself can be pointless. Pauline, who will eventually take over her father's farm, fears that the switch to organic farming will have more constraints than advantages in their situation.
Moreover, at the ferme de la Grand'Mèche, Bleu du Vercors is sold for 12€ per kilo, a cheese sold elsewhere for 16€ per kilo. Why not go organic, but the farm could easily increase its selling price, simply by aligning itself with the local market price. According to Marjolaine, selling the cheese at this price is also interesting and rewarding on a human level: "The farm welcomes a varied clientele. We welcome owners of second homes but also people from the area, or people who are a little less well off, who come to walk around during their weekend with the children. Just because we process and sell our cheeses on the farm doesn't mean we can't offer products that are accessible to everyone.
To conclude, we would like to thank Marjolaine and Pauline for the 7 hours spent with them ! The participation in the making of the blue cheese and the "Surprises" will remain in our memories for a long time! More than a visit to the farm, it was a discovery and a real exchange as we like to find when we meet people who are passionate about what they do. Thanks again to them!
Did you know ?
- SURPRISE !
The Bleu du Vercors is packaged in large moulds to obtain a finished cheese of about 4 kilos. After the Blue cheese has been moulded, a small quantity of fresh cheese remains in the tank, but not enough to produce one Blue cheese. At the Ferme de la Grand'Mèche, they have started to make small cheeses from the production of Bleu, with a slightly different maturing process. These small cheeses were sold under the name of "Surprise", as a test. The little cheeses found their fan club among the clientele and became a must-have at the Grand'Mèche! Despite this, it still keeps its original name: the Surprise!
From left to right: Photo 1: Pressing the Surprises; Photo 2. Marjolaine and Bastien pressing the cheeses; Photo 3. Maturing of the Surprises