Film transcription (18min)
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
Milk is what I’m responsible for, but I know that beyond, it goes into cheese. It’s as if I was the one making cheese. It’s not just any milk that I deliver to the cooperative. It’s the cheese behind!
Lois, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
What’s great about our cooperative is that we’re not only farmers but managers as well. We’re in control and take decisions. From A to Z, we get to manage it all, from producing milk, cheesemaking to selling it.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
I want it to be a high-quality product. Not only for my own pride but also, so that people are happy to eat a cheese of excellence.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
In winter, herds stay in stables. Most of the work is done in the mornings & evenings. True that, Haute Maurienne people are known to be responsive. Most of us are either ski lift operators, ski patrollers or ski instructors.
Loïs, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
A winter’s day starts with waking up at 5am. We go to the barn. We milk and take care of both our cows and calves, which already eats up quite some time! Then at 9am, as I am a ski instructor, I give ski lessons (until 5pm). Then 5.30pm, we’re back at the barn, milking, up to 8pm.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
We’re a small farm. We couldn’t make a living just from farming. It gives us the chance to meet with people from other backgrounds.
Loïs, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
We really get to friendly chat with people and we have real nice discussions. They do appreciate it. They actually often come see us milking in the evening. As for going up to the mountain pastures, we walk up, from the village, on foot.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
We try to gather a bunch of friends to come up and help out with the cows, as we have lots of things to prepare. We have to move with the milking trailer, the cows on foot, the generator…
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
We move twice a year: springtime and in the fall. It’s a whole organisation as we take our “life” up to the mountain pastures. Such a detailed and precise process! As for us, we go up at the beginning of June, and come back down around 10-15 of October. Life on the mountain gives me a true feeling of freedom. I really enjoy being outdoor, with my animals. I’m really happy up there!
Claude, farmer in Sollières
I always say that cows, once up there, go on holiday! They’re outside. Actually, when the weather’s really bad, we feel for them. But otherwise, on regular summer conditions, they’re happy campers!
Loïs, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
As we’re quite high up in the mountains, when the weather’s bad or if it happens to snow, we actually feel jealous of farmers who milk all year round, indoor. But on the other hand, when the weather’s great, we get to watch the sunset over the mountains… priceless!
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
Our terrain is quite complicated: not so flat! So, we make hay down the valley, not in the mountain pastures, because we give it to eat to our cows throughout the summer.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
We start by mowing a plot, cutting grass using what’s called a tedder, which stirs up hay, airing it. Then, often on the 3rd day, we windrow, and then either collect hay in bulk (using self-loaders), or bale it.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
We could leave off complicated plots, but the problem is: we do need them! According to PDO Beaufort specifications we must have at least 80% of our hay made “in the designated area”. There are small plots of land that actually produce quite a lot of hay. It would be a shame to give up on them. There’s also a risk of the land becoming overgrown.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
People often tell us that we’re privileged. We actually don’t realise it on a day-to-day basis as we work. But when we take a step back and look around the landscape, I have to say: we’re in a very peaceful and pleasant region to live in. I’m very attached to the Haute Maurienne, to my village Sollières of course! and to my farm, inherited from my grandparents, my parents…
Loïs, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
When you know you’re the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th generation to go up to the mountain pasture (always the same one!). It’s always so much joy! We often think about it.
Nathan, son of a farmer in Sollières
Well, I’d really like to take over the farm and do like Dad, like my grandparents and great-grandparents…
Claude, farmer in Sollières
Right now, he says he wants to be a farmer which is great! Passing on my heritage, my know-how… I’m real glad! Though, if one day he doesn’t want to be a farmer anymore, I won’t blame him. I’d understand his choice as it is hard work! To be a farmer, you have to give it all. If he doesn’t want to, I wouldn’t blame him. We’ll find another way, it doesn’t matter.
Baptiste, farmer in Bessans
These days, a farm is a real business to manage from A to Z. There are many administrative tasks which are so important. We really have to manage everything.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
It’s a job where you have to know how to do everything!
Claude, farmer in Sollières
Farmers are actually multi-taskers. You sometimes have to be an electrician, a plumber, a bricklayer, a vet, a nutritionist, a machinery driver…
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
There’s a practical side to it: we can get organised as we like; our kids can be with us even when we’re working. It is a real convenience.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
All of our animals are registered in what we call the bovine civil status. When it’s milk inspection time, all our cows have a little name, so we can recognise them in the barn.
Baptiste, farmer in Bessans
Milk control is important because we can really monitor each cow’s milk individually, both on quantity and quality.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
The product is definitely connected to the land. No matter what, our animal feed has to be essentially hay & grass from the geographical area where Beaufort is made.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
It’s important that these specifications remain strict. If we don’t have strict specifications, we’ll lose our credibility as well as Beaufort’s reputation.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
The advantage of high mountain pastures is that they have a very special flora, with lots of varieties and flowers, and it’s true that this gives a much richer, much fatter milk as well as a very special taste to the Beaufort.
Pauline, Beaufort cheese-maker in Lanslebourg
Milk is collected by our tanker trucks, then delivered to the Coop, in the morning. It’s milk from the evening before plus the morning one.
It’s first heated to 33 °C, bringing back the right temperature to add the rennet.
It’s then cut into small, fine curd grains. This is the “décaillage” stage.
We test it by making the famous “pâton”, letting us know if we reached the desired texture for moulding.
Gaëtan, cellar man in Lanslebourg
It’s an exciting job! It’s never really the same job… It’s a bit chilly though… (laughs). The cheese is concave. Its rind is really orange, and smooth.
Emmanuel, Bleu de Bonneval sur Arc cheese-maker in Sollières
Our blue cheese is similar to a soft cheese, as it’s made from milk that hasn’t been heated. Piercing is the most important part of making blue cheese. It’s what allows oxygen to get into the cheese. Because mould won’t develop without oxygen.
Albert Tourt, President of the Cooperative (1984-2019)
My goal and motto were that “wherever we’d close a cooperative (a production site), we’d have to put a store instead”.
It’s been a wonderful adventure for me! Admittedly, it has been difficult at times, very difficult!
But rich! Very rich in human values! I’ve come across such strong human values, locally but also within the sector, which played a role as well. Nowadays, we’re in 7 villages, with 40 producers. We’re a great big family!
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
Agriculture couldn’t function without tourism. And tourism, in a way, would be complicated without agriculture too. If we wouldn’t look after the mountains, people wouldn’t be able to come hike around.
Claude, farmer in Sollières
No skiing, or it would be complicated to ski in winter; or we’d have to pay companies to clear the undergrowth and maintain the ski slopes. On the other hand, farmers need tourism to sell their production, and simply, to make a living. We’re all connected.
Sylvie Filliol, Business Manager
This is called a curd cutter. We have a Beaufort workshop in the village of Lanslebourg and we also have a Bleu de Bonneval sur Arc workshop.
Baptiste, farmer in Bessans
There are a lot of traditions in Bessans. Namely the celebration on August 15, which brings in a lot of tourists and visitors.
A lot of people have questions about the legendary devil of Bessans, everyone comes then to find answers.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
We love hearing the sound of the bells in the mountain pastures! It helps us find them when it’s foggy. I also think that it helps keeping predators away.
Loïs, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
A beautiful Tarine is one with: plain coat, black hooves and black eyes.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
They may not be great milkers, but they do have sure feet and hooves that are adapted to the mountains.
Loïs, farmer in Bonneval sur Arc
A beautiful Abondance, well, should first have 2 glasses, moustaches, and she should be as dark as possible.
Aude, farmer in Lanslebourg
Each of them has a name and I know them all by heart! I think it’s important they have a name; it gives them an identity.
Nathan, son of a farmer in Sollières
My favourite is Joyeuse! Because she’s nice, she’s not violent towards us or anyone else, and…
Claude, farmer in Sollières
(laughs) I didn’t say anything! Keep going… Beautiful, isn’t she? She is beautiful!
Albert Tourt, President of the Cooperative (1984-2019)
It’s a great big family! Because, it’s in tune with a true reality, which is to modernise, while retaining the authenticity of this region, which is for me… the most beautiful region in the world.