Talking Cheese with Ivy: Who is Yanzi Wang?

Interview with Yanzi Wang, Operations Manager of Mongolian Artisan Cheesemakers Union (MACU), February 2019

Map of Mongolia (Source: geology.com)

During my training with Academie MONS, I discovered the network of MONS alumni reached as far as Mongolia, a landlocked country bordered by two giant states, China to the south and Russia to the north. With a population of around 3 million and a surface area of 1.5 million sq km, Mongolia is the most sparsely populated sovereign state in the world. About 45% of its population lives in Ulaanbaatar, one of the coldest capitals in the world. The country’s landscape is mountainous in the north and west, and dry and arid conditions from the Gobi Desert dominate the south. It is therefore not surprising that there exists very little arable land. A nation deriving from Genghis Khan’s early 13th Century Mongol Empire, today about 30% of its population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. Market economy came late to Mongolia, which only obtained its independence from China in 1921, but fell under control by the Soviet Union in subsequent years. Mongolia eventually underwent its own democratic revolutionary process in 1990, leading to a multi-party government and transition to market economy.

Yanzi Wang and her daughter Mao Mao

My curiosity about this alumnus hailing from Mongolia steered me to contact her via Sue Sturman, Academie MONS’s Anglophone Director. What I then learnt from Yanzi Wang and her husband Mike Morrow was a very inspiring story of vision, passion, survival and persistence.

Tumurkhuyag Urtnasan

It all started in 2014 when Mike was introduced to Tumurkhuyag Urtnasan, the doyen of Mongolia’s artisan cheesemaking industry and the maker of Mongolia’s most famous cheese Khustai Gouda. Tumurkhuyag has been making cheese in a remote atelier since 1995, working alone most of the year on a mountain steppe about 80 kilometres southwest of Ulaanbaatar. One important lesson in Mongolian artisan cheesemaking that Mike learnt from the cheese guru is that it needs to be practised where the animals pasture during the 100 days of summer when the mother animals are in full lactation and their young are strong enough not to require all the milk produced, thus creating a milk surplus.

Khustai Gouda

The American-Chinese couple began their year-long research into the socio-economic aspects of herding communities with the objective of identifying a feasible business model. Herder families principally derive their income from selling cashmere combed from goats in spring and selling meat and hides in the fall. During the hundred days of summer, herder incomes are low and labour is in surplus. If they could sell surplus milk for money, this would provide useful summer income and money for children’s education. By selling excess milk, the productivity of animals would be increased and herders would be encouraged to avoid overstocking and to better manage pasture conditions to improve quality and quantity of milk. This would not only improve animal husbandry practice but also help sustain the environment.

Mongolian ladies milking goats

Mongol Alatau Nomadic Pastoral Cheese Cow

Thus, Mongolian Artisanal Cheesemakers Union (MACU) was conceived in 2016, based on a networked socio-ecological entrepreneurship model. Yanzi and Mike soon realised that self-funding the business could take a long time to realise their goals and they could accelerate it by inviting a third party for capital contribution and sound business advice. Arvintsogt Ragchaa, one of the founders of Newcom Group, one of Mongolia’s most reputable business conglomerates, joined MACU as a Director in August 2017.






MACU currently has three subsidiaries, including its White Mountain Cheesemaking Plant built to international standards, and a cheese ripening facility. MACU plays multiple roles. It primarily sources investors and herders who are interested to become shareholders of cheesemaking plants. The estimated capital outlay for each cheesemaking facility is around USD 100,000-150,000, depending on location and capacity. Given the geographic spread of “sums” (districts) in Mongolia, each cheesemaking plant has different shareholders. Each MACU cheesemaking facility is committed to purchasing the milk from around 50 herders in each community at Mongolian Tugrik MNT 500 per litre (approx. USD 0.18 per litre), on the assumption that each family supplies 40 litres of milk on a daily basis during the hundred days. The price paid for milk will depend on quality of milk and animal breed. (In Mongolia, cheese can be made from the milk of cows, yaks, khainag (hybrid between cow and yak), goats, sheep and camels.) MACU’s management and technical personnel is committed to providing installation consultation, technical support and staff training to enable the cheesemaking plant to be suitably equipped and staffed to produce cheese to international standards and develop and create its own range of cheese products. MACU is committed to purchasing the freshly made cheeses, ripening them, marketing and selling them during the first five years of operation, at an agreed price. The cheeses will be sold either under the MACU brand or an independent brand. Where requested, MACU can also undertake to be the turnkey project manager and act as the initial plant manager for an arm’s length fee.

White Mountain Cheesemaking Plant

MACU’s vision is to build a network of 100 plants by 2024, with total production capacity of 1,000 tons of cheese per year (roughly 1 million kg per year). When fully operational, the plants are envisaged to employ about 500-750 people and provide summer income of USD 800 per family to about 5,000 families.



With this new source of summer income, children will have the opportunity to be educated when previously this potential income did not exist. Locals will be trained to become skilled workers and cheesemakers at each plant. MACU hopes that the prestige associated with the production of high quality products that generate meaningful income will serve to partially reverse the urban migration trend and help continue the nomadic pastoralism traditions. By-products from the cheese production can provide additional income, such as whey processing into animal feed, candy, baked goods and nutraceutical products. Herders can develop ancillary businesses to complement cheesemaking, such as honey production and production of winter fodder. In time, each “sum” will develop greater economic strength, stronger advancement opportunities for its people and a skilled and empowered workforce.



Aside from sourcing investors and building the network of cheesemaking plants, one of MACU’s most imminent tasks is developing the export markets, primarily to China and Russia, but also with Japan, Korea and Hong Kong in sight. The company is currently actively seeking distributors in these three markets. To develop export markets, MACU needs to build the brand, its credibility and consistency in quality.



Yanzi and Mike have embarked on a long and challenging journey to give socio-economic and ecological sustainability to nomadic communities and to developing Mongolia into a world-recognised producer of cheese when currently more than 95% of Mongolia’s own cheese consumption is met with imports. The journey has been fraught with challenges but also filled with rewards, rewards of being recognised by the privileged few who have had the opportunity to taste their products. The success of MACU will be Yanzi and Mike’s legacy to this landlocked country.



Yanzi is MACU’s Operations Manager and cheesemaker. She originally comes from Ying Xian 应县in Shanxi 山西 province, China. Her village is famous for the “Muta” 木塔, the tallest and oldest fully wooden pagoda in China, built in 1056 by the Khitan people, ancestors of the Mongols, when they led the Liao Dynasty. Fate had her sent to Mongolia from Beijing, where she was working in a different industry. In 2014, her husband Mike decided that cheesemaking would become the family business after his encounter with Tumurkhuyag Urtnasan. Mike had the vision but not the ‘touch’. So Yanzi took up the profession and enrolled into a number of training programmes to get up to speed in the shortest time possible. She completed most of her training in France and the UK. Her expertise is fresh, soft, bloomy rind and semi-hard cheeses. She created cheeses such as “Tsaagankhar”, “Piko” and “Larch” for the White Mountain Cheesemaking Plant’s major hotel clients, such as Ulaanbaatar’s Shangri-La and Kempinski Hotels.



I caught up with Yanzi on her return from China after the Chinese New Year holidays, while Mike had been battling with a broken septic tank, a crashed phone and an urgent need to recruit a new cheesemaker. Yanzi was very kind to share with us her background, experience and thoughts on cheesemaking for Asians.



IN: How and when did you decide to become a cheesemaker? Was there a particular incident or personality that triggered your interest in taking up this career?


YZW: I began to get interested in 2014. In 2016 we set up an experimental atelier in an abandoned student cafeteria near the Mongolian Agriculture University. We tried to train others but they did not stay. [During this experimental phase], I discovered I had a feel for the milk and my cheeses weren't so bad.



IN: Do you remember how you felt when you tasted the first cheese you made?

YZW: Being Chinese from the countryside, it was all new to me. At first, I didn't like any cheese. It was more the challenge of making cheeses that people liked that got me to begin paying attention to smell, taste and texture - especially that of Mozzarella and Brie. I discovered that I’m pretty good at it. I have a sensitive nose and acute taste buds and I can ‘feel’ the curd!



IN: Which is your favourite cheese amongst the cheeses that you make? Please tell us what it tastes like. And why it is your favourite?

YZW: I am happy with my Mozzarella and bloomy rind cheeses. But I kind of invented a semi-hard cow-milk cheese we call “Larch”. I'm still developing it. It's buttery and a little acidic when young, but gets progressively more nutty and fungal. I like to let the rind harden rough and brown like a Pecorino. It’s my favorite because I worked it up myself and I like tasting it myself, and because others like it too.

A selection of MACU cheeses

IN: Is making cheese in Mongolia very different from making cheese in Europe or US, using France, UK and USA as examples? What are the principal challenges and advantages?

YZW: I studied in France with Mons for less than a month, made Cheddar for a couple of days in England, and spent a few days visiting small cheesemakers in the US. I don't know much. We are beginners. Everything here is difficult, but also everything is open. We also have good quality whole milk directly from the animals. We have yaks, goats, sheep and camels as well as cows. Mongolia is one big grassland with various micro environments and wild grass of various kinds everywhere. It's paradise for creative cheesemakers if you can put up with all the problems and the climate, which is sunny but harsh.



IN: Historically in Europe, cheesemaking was a woman's job at the farm and the technique was passed from mother to daughter. Would you recommend cheesemaking to other women in Mongolia as a profession? Why or why not?

YZW: It is the same here. Unlike Chinese, Mongolian women have a long, rich association with milk animals, milking and making things from milk. Cheese in the European sense didn't develop because of the nomadic lifestyle and very cold and dry climate, but cheesemaking comes easily to Mongolian country women. We don't have to recommend cheesemaking to women here. Some are already making European cheeses. We are training more. More will follow naturally as artisan cheesemaking gets better established here.

Mongolian ladies milking sheep

Milking yaks and khainag

IN: As the MACU logo suggests, cheesemakers in Mongolia work with milk from different animals – goats, sheep, cows, yaks and camels. You learnt cheesemaking in France and the UK. Could you share with us how you have had to adapt certain techniques to work with different milk origins?


YZW: I personally only work with cow's milk. But even that is different. As a result of the wild, hardy grasses and the dry conditions, the cows may give only 4 liters of milk instead of the normal 40 litres, and the dry climate makes cheesemaking very different here. The milk smells stronger and earthier here. I also feel it when I run my hands through the milk. Perhaps it is because we only use whole milk to make cheese here.

Other of our [MACU] cheesemakers are making cheese with whole yak milk. It's got up to 8% butterfat. These are great cooking cheeses. Mike is busy developing cheeses from other animals with other cheesemakers, but so far I only eat them!

I make cheese at our own White Mountain cheese plant on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. To get yak and goat and sheep milk one has to go to other parts of Mongolia. We're working with local partners in such places. They come to White Mountain for training. Maybe this summer I will get a chance to go to them and make cheeses from other milks.

I like Pecorino so I am most interested in trying my hand at sheep milk cheeses.



IN: Which cheese do you admire the most from Europe? Why do you admire it?

YZW: I like Pecorino. It’s so many cheeses in one, changing from one to the other depending on how you age it. It also seems to change noticeably from one locale or cheesemaker to another. Also, most people seem to like it.

I make an imitation peppered Pecorino from cow's milk. We call it “Tsagaankhar” (White-Black). It is a great buffet cheese. The serving dish empties quickly. But if I teach someone else to make it, it won’t be the same cheese.

A selection of Pecorino cheeses on display at BRA

Mike Morrow

IN: What motivates you? What drives you?

YZW: Survival. My husband is crazy.



IN: Who is your hero? Is there a personality who has inspired you the most in your life? Or a cheesemaker you would like to create a cheese with?


YZW: Susan Sturman is not a cheesemaker exactly, but she arranged my training in France and helped me when I had difficulty because of the language barrier. She is an example to me of how cheesemaking can be more than a business, how it can be an activity that builds understanding and friendship from one part of the world to another.

Sue Sturman

IN: What is your vision/ambition for Mongolian cheeses?

YZW: We have worked very hard to establish Mongolian cheeses. Our goal is to develop a network of 100 cheese plants and at least 200 good cheeses.



IN: What will be your advice to fellow Mongolians or Asians who wish to enter into the cheese profession, either as a cheesemaker or cheesemonger?

YZW: Don't do it if you aren't prepared for a lot of difficulties and frustrations. Don't forget it is a business. But also make it more than a business. Focus on being as good as you can be. Quality precedes quantity in artisan cheesemaking.


IN: If you were a cheese, which one it would be? And why?

YZW: I already answered that -- a Pecorino. It's a cheese for all seasons, an interesting cheese that most people like.

Talking Cheese with Ivy Ng: Who is Susan Sturman?

I recently completed a week of training in affinage at Academie MonS, the English language affiliate of Mons Formation, the professional development center at Mons Fromager-Affineur based in the medieval village of Saint Haon-Le-Châtel, in the country of Côte Roannaise in the Loire Valley, France.

[Please see bottom of page for more on Academie MonS.]

It was a week of intense classroom learning supported by hands-on practical experience and sensory analysis training. We were a cohort of 5 students plus an instructor-to-be as an observer, all from different backgrounds and nationalities, including Ukraine, UK, USA, Spain, France/Mexico and Hong Kong/China. Our diversity made the learning even more interesting and enriching. The Academie's US-born Anglophone Director Sue Sturman was our chauffeur, instructor and minder from the induction lunch on Sunday at the Mons shop in Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse until Friday, when she put us on the train to Lyon at the end of the 5-day course.

Since 2012, the Academie's duo, Laurent (Mons) and Sue have created a training programme that is incredibly educational, relevant and interactive. Not only did they share with us their wealth of knowledge gained through years of experience, they also knew how to spice it up with a bit of humour too, making the week thoroughly enjoyable and memorable.

Our 3 instructions, from left to right: Sue Sturman, Laurent Mons and Eric Meredith

What did I learn? A lot but the most important lesson is that there is no shortcut to affinage. To do affinage well, it requires patience, knowledge (the art and science of it) and above all, investment. It is no longer sufficient to be just the craft transmitted from father to son - it has been refined into a professionally acquired skill through better understanding of the science behind the microbiology and the technical engineering of the environment. Above all, this skill is honed through years of experience - you may call it a long apprenticeship!

During my week of training, I spent a few moments with Sue to find out: "Who is Susan Sturman?"

Sue Sturman in a Mons technical coat

Sue Sturman's Brief Biography:
Academie Anglophone Director Sue Sturman has over 25 years in cheese education. At the ACS, as Committee Chair she led the creation of the American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional™ Exam program, and has been a frequent presenter at ACS conferences. Sue started teaching cheese in 1993, as Assistant Director of the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier cooking school at the Paris Ritz Hotel. She continued in New York as an instructor at New York retailers including Murray’s Cheese, and for private and corporate clients. In 2011 Sue was inducted into the Guilde Internationale de Fromage. She serves on the Board of the American Cheese Society and is on the the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Cheese Guild. She has served as cheese judge in France, Spain, the UK, and the USA.

IN: Is cheese a passion or a career?
SS: I think cheese is a vehicle for my passion, which is to serve and to promote and to help advance the passion and careers of others. In the community of cheese professionals I have found many that I admire, who have fire in their belly, who dream big and have the capacity to commit. And there is such warmth, such conviviality, such a spirit of sharing. I wouldn't want to be anyplace else.



IN: Reflecting on the success of Anglophone Academie MonS, what is your secret to this successful 'marriage' of two cultures - French and American? SS: Humility, persistence, a love and respect for the French, an ability to adapt. The differences between American and French work culture are not obvious on the surface, but they are real. Having lived and worked in France earlier in my career, I was ready to do so again. The French are very rigorous, and the best of the French (like the maison MonS) are the most rigorous. That is why their gastronomic culture is so great. It's also a tough environment to work in....we Americans need more ego-stroking than is the norm in French culture! So it takes a bit of a thick hide.

The success of the Academie is based, I think, on quality. The company has done such great work, it is such a leader in affinage, an innovator in cheese export, merchandising, and retailing, and also in education. We teach methodologies that have been proven through 2 generations, in the context of a spirit, an approach, a culture that is really inspiring.

We bring together in our very small classes people from the four corners of the world: as I write this we've just said farewell to a group of six people from Ukraine, England, Spain, Hong Kong, USA, and Mexico.

Also our teaching method is special: all of our courses rest on a pedagogical tripod of classroom work, sensory analysis practice, and hands-on work alongside the MonS professionals. It's unique.

Me practising the 'washing' of Soumaintrain

Eric doing some classroom teaching

Laurent explaining to the group how the organoleptic profile of each cheese changed during different stages of affinage

IN: Has the role played by France changed during your career in the cheese industry? Vis-a-vis other countries?
SS: France was the place my career in cheese started, when I started teaching the cheese class at the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier in Paris. French cheese styles have been my reference point from the beginning. When I moved back to the US in 1998, I discovered the newly emerging world of American artisanal cheese, and my mind was blown. So while French cheeses were my reference point, American cheeses became more of my focus. I also started giving cheese classes including Spanish cheeses and Italian cheeses, and expanded my repertoire. From 2012, my focus started shifting back to France as I was involved in writing about French cheese luminaries and starting to work with Laurent Mons to develop the Academie MonS.

Developing sensory analysis skills

Now my role is one of bridging the Atlantic to a certain extent: I've given several presentations and written articles for French cheese professionals on American cheeses, and have brought Americans (and other English-speakers) to France to study cheese in a French context. I now translate the French publication Profession Fromager from French into English for an international online edition. As far as other countries are concerned, I have been incredibly fortunate to learn about what is happening in cheese in countries as far afield as Romania, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, the UK, Spain, Mongolia, Kenya...the list goes on and on...from our students who come to the Academie to study. I have been fortunate to serve as judge in Paris at the Concours Générale Agricole, and at the World Cheese Awards in London, San Sebastian, and (in November) Bergen, and for the past three years I've been the only American judge at the Spanish GourmetQuesos competition. I have programs organized for 2019 to bring groups to Madrid, London, Paris, and Vermont, San Francisco, and New York.



IN: Describe the achievement you're most proud of so far, personally and professionally?
SS: Two, actually: The Certified Cheese Professional exam program at the American Cheese Society, which is truly a legacy project, and the development of the Academie MonS, opening opportunities to English-speakers from around the world to learn from some of the top French experts. Both projects support people in developing their careers and success. I'm extremely gratified and proud that I've been able to develop these vehicles to empower cheese professionals.


IN: Who is your hero? Who has inspired you most? Why?
SS: The first person who hired me back in my previous career as a caterer, Ann Vivian, taught me the simple grace of saying thank you to people who are simply doing their jobs.

I'm inspired by people like Laurent and Hervé Mons, for their vision, tenacity, and entrepreneurial spirit.

And ever since I first moved to France, I have been deeply inspired by all the people who have picked up their lives and moved elsewhere, braving the unknown, to find opportunities and open up their lives. I've seen that in Tamil dishwashers in Paris restaurants, in Croatian concierges, in housekeepers from Morocco, in cab drivers from north Africa....having lived as an expatriate in pretty cushy circumstances, I have vast respect and awe for those who expatriate themselves with nothing: no language, no money, no network.....and make a life for themselves. Some of the strongest people I've known, and for whom I hold endless respect.

Our international student group

IN: What is your most memorable experience in the cheese industry?
SS: Again, working with Laurent Mons, and working with the incredible team of volunteers at the American Cheese Society to build the CCP exam. Cheese professionals are incredibly generous and I am in awe of the expertise of the people I am fortunate to associate with.


IN: What do you think is the most challenging aspect about cheese judging? And the most rewarding?
SS: Being an aesthetic judge at the American Cheese Society! We can only find good things to say, we can only add points. Even for cheeses that have obvious organoleptic faults, we must be positive. It's a fabulous exercise in divorcing observation from opinion.....this is the first principle we emphasize in our sensory analysis training.


IN: Do you have a favourite cheese and wine/beverage pairing? Or a cheese and jam/honey/food pairing?
SS: At home I love making grilled cheese sandwiches with aged cheddar and Sarabeth's plum-cherry jam on cranberry-pecan bread. Just yum. Pure comfort food.

Our cheese tasting platter on the last day of the course

IN: Do you eat cheese at home with your family?
SS: Yes, but my husband probably eats more cheese than I do on a daily basis! My kids are also pretty discerning.....last year my son started working part-time as a cheesemonger (both my kids have completed our basic mongering course - a job perk - and both have worked as cheesemongers) and we loved evaluating and enjoying new cheeses he would bring home from work to share.



IN: If you were a cheese, which one would it be? And why?
SS: I think maybe a St Nectaire. Well-ripened as I am, I can be craggy and a bit intimidating on the outside, but on the inside I'm all soft and gooey, with a lot of complexity. Not everybody's cup of tea.....

Watching curds being cut during the production of Saint Nectaire

Saint Nectaire

Academie MonS:

The Academie MonS is the English-language affiliate of Mons Formation, the professional development center at Mons Fromager-Affineur. Established in 2012, the Academie currently offers five week-long courses, for retailers: Cheesemonger Essentials, The Big Cheese: A Manager's Toolkit, and Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese; and for cheesemakers, Cheesemaking 101 and Cheesemaking 201, taught by Ivan Larcher. The programs were translated and adapted for an English-speaking clientele of cheese professionals from around the world, based on the curriculum and methodologies developed by Laurent Mons. The courses are unique in that students do hands-on work during the programs alongside the MonS professionals, cementing their experiential learning. In addition, six different Insiders' Tours are offered: Paris, London, Madrid, San Francisco/Marin, Vermont, and New York. To date, the Academie MonS has trained students from some 26 countries. MonS Formation works with partners in Japan, Russia, Brazil, and Italy, offering training in these countries' local languages.

Find out more at: www.academie-mons.com

A cheese created to mark a monastery's thousandth year

This year, the historic and charming town of Talloires on Lake Annecy celebrates the 1,000th year of the existence of L’Abbaye de Talloires – “Le Millénaire de L’Abbaye de Talloires 1018-2018”.

 

L'Abbaye de Talloires (source: www.abbaye-talloires.com)

However, its historic religious roots went beyond a history of 1,000 years. The Via Consularis of Milan based in Strasbourg reached Geneva via the shores of Lake Annecy, probably near Talloires. Lothaire II, great grandson of King Charlemagne, rejected his queen Thiberge and ordered her to stay in Talloires in 866. Here she remained until her death. During her time in Talloires, Queen Thiberge built a “cella”, a small chapel with shelters to host monks passing by in the country. Later, the monks who decided to settle here had a monastery constructed. The monastery twice succumbed to the ravages of fire during the 17th Century. In 1674, the monastery was rebuilt and Pope Clement X had the priory insignia displayed on the Abbaye Royale. The monastery was completed in 1681. After the French Revolution, the monastery was turned into a winemaking enterprise and later, horse stables in 1840. It was in 1862 that it became an inn and the first hotel-restaurant on the shores of Lake Annecy.



Raymond Michel (Fromager Alain Michel’s father) was contacted to create a cheese to celebrate the abbey’s 1,000th year of existence. During the research in historic archives and with the help of historians, Monsieur Michel pieced together fragments of information that gave him insight into monastic life and particularly their cheesemaking practice in the 17th Century. He was then able to develop the recipe for a cheese that the monks could have been making. It would be something between a Tome and a Tamié, and it would have a thick crust so that it could be preserved for a longer time. This would require rubbing the cheese regularly with morge (solution to rub cheese during affinage). Inspired by a word that appeared in the archives of the period, he named this cheese “Le Florion des Moines”.

Raymond Michel holding a piece of Le Florion des Moines

With a preliminary recipe in hand, Monsieur Michel needed to find a quality supply of milk to experiment the production of this cheese. He contacted André and Monique Boistard at La Ferme in Col de La Forclaz in Talloires-Montmin where they keep 28 cows (mostly Abondance with some Montbéliarde) raised at an altitude of 1,157 metres. (Col de La Forclaz is better known as a paragliding station.) It took several attempts before the right shape and flavours were achieved. First few attempts resulted in a cheese that was too flat, which could not be commercialised. It was not until June this year when the veteran pair (André the cheesemaker at 72 years old, and Raymond the affineur at 81 years old) agreed that they had finetuned the cheese recipe. And voilà - Le Florion des Moines! The cheese is now sold at all the shops of Alain Michel and at La Ferme, as well as being served at the restaurant at L’Abbaye de Talloires.

La Ferme at Col de La Forclaz
(and if you eat here: don't forget to order the seriously delicious beignets de pomme de terre!)

  

This is such a good story that I asked Monsieur Michel if I could ask him some questions about this venture. His response surpassed my expectations – he agreed to take me to the farm to see the production of this cheese! We went on a Tuesday evening in August.



Milking takes place twice a day, morning and evening. Each milking produces about 300 litres to make 15-18 rounds of Le Florion des Moines. We arrived in time to see the evening production – we arrived at around 5:40 pm when milking was almost finished and the production started about 6 pm.

The collected milk is held in a copper vat and heated to 35°C before the addition of traditional rennet. The milk is mixed well with the rennet until the surface is no longer turbulent. The vat is then left for the milk to curdle. This takes about 30 minutes when the surface of the curdled milk resembles the surface of soft jelly or tofu that springs back when pulled away from the rim. (This is easily tested with the back of the hand.) The curdled milk is then cut to create smaller curds. This is done horizontally in an almost zigzag form with a curd cutter and then it is lifted to repeat the same step vertically. This results in small curds, about 1.5-2 cm in size. The curds are left alone for a short while as the whey is being pushed out of the curds. The curds are then stirred around to make them even smaller, almost pea-sized. This continues for about 10 minutes when the whey continues to leave the curds. Part of the whey is removed carefully from the surface (this whey will be used to feed pigs). A piece of muslin cloth is now fitted into a large container and the mixture of whey and curds are poured over the cloth. Each side is lifted gently so that the whey drains through the cloth and runs down the side of the draining table into the whey collection container.  

Andre explaining to Lauriane, Geoffrey and Monsieur Michel the curd cutting process

Draining the remaining of the whey from the curds

The relatively well-drained pea-sized (petit pois!) curds are gathered and put into perforated plastic moulds fitted with a piece of thick gauze on the bottom (the mould measures about 14 cm in diameter and 6 cm high). During the filling process, the curds are gently pressed down by hand to aid further drainage and the moulds are filled to just a convex shape at the top. 

Gathering the curds to put into moulds (sanitised hands!)

Filled moulds

Once all the moulds are filled, they are turned over and returned to the mould. After this first turning, the moulds are turned over almost every hour, about twice before 10 pm. In the morning, the cheese is unmoulded and salted on one side. Half an hour later, it is salted on the other side. The finished cheese stays at the farm for about a week before being transported to Alain Michel’s cave d’affinage for 60 more days of affinage. The cheese is rubbed with morge (or cheese-rubbing solution consisting of whey and salt) twice every week at the beginning and less frequently towards the end of affinage. In total, Le Florion des Moines requires an affinage of around 70 days before it is ready to be commercialised. 

The morning production being salted in the evening

According to Monsieur Michel, the typical Savoyard yield in cheesemaking is 10 litres of milk for 1 kg of cheese, about 10%. With affinage, the cheese loses about 20% of weight, exact loss depending on humidity and temperature of the cave d’affinage and the length of affinage. For Le Florion des Moines, each cheese weighs about 1.6 kg immediately after production and with affinage, it becomes about 1.2-1.3 kg.

Le Florion des Moines in the cave d'affinage

How does it taste? It has a thick crust, thicker than a Tamié. It is a soft-ripened morged-rind raw cow’s milk cheese, with orange/brown spots on the grey rind. The paste is a cream colour, supple and soft. The paste has fruity (pineapple), creamy yogurt, as well as sweet hay notes, complemented with savoury nuances, and earthy character from the rind. The texture is rich and unctuous, melting on the palate, displaying balanced but not pronounced acidity and a persistent buttery finish. It is a sophisticated cheese for the initiated and the gourmands.

Le Florion des Moines is a modern interpretation of historic cheesemaking, made with the milk from one herd of cows on one single farm, and carefully matured by one affineur. A unique creation!

I hope we will still be able to taste this cheese after the celebrations are completed on 22 September 2018. You can read about this programme of celebrations at Talloires at: https://www.talloires-lac-annecy.com/fr/explorer/millenaire-de-l-abbaye-de-talloires

Talking Cheese with Ivy Ng: Who is Alain Michel?

Interview with Alain Michel, Artisan Fromager

Alain Michel

Based in the picturesque lake-side town of Annecy, France, Alain Michel is a 4th generation Savoyard cheese man. Since taking over his father’s “fromager-affineur” business 14 years ago, Alain has built a cheese empire of 5 shops, all within the Haute Savoie region. Building on this success, he has recently designed a new logo to reinforce the brand “Alain Michel Artisan Fromager” and to position the company for the next phase of growth. The Savoyard brand is now synonymous with quality artisan cheeses. The former restaurateur is confident that his reputation will allow him to develop a network of franchised cheese shops in other parts of France and beyond. And if this is not enough to keep him busy, this Savoyard cheese man has plans to open the first cheese bar (bar à fromages) in Annecy!


The flagship shop La Crèmerie du Lac opened in 1969 in Annecy, complete with its very own cave d’affinage built into the foothill rocks of Le Semnoz underneath the Château d’Annecy. 2 years after Alain took over from his father Raymond Michel, he opened another cheese shop – La Crèmerie du Parc in Annecy Le Vieux. During the past 14 years, Alain opened a cheese shop every 2-3 years in the Haute Savoie region. At the same time, Alain has reinforced his management and operations team to position the company for the next phase of growth.

La Cremerie du Lac, 3 rue du Lac, Annecy, France

Towards the end of my 2-week internship at La Crèmerie du Lac in August 2018, I spent a few moments speaking to Alain to find out: “Who is Alain Michel?”

Me at the counter at La Cremerie du Lac

IN: How did you get into the cheese business?
AM: I took over the family business about 14 years ago. I started helping my father at La Crèmerie du Lac (CdL) when I was 15 years old. I worked a month here every summer, helping out at the cellar and selling to customers.

Despite this, I wanted my own career. I was “ski man” for about 5 months, taking people on walks and other sports, before I developed the idea to open a sports shop in La Clusaz. Once I identified the location for the shop, I opened instead a restaurant where I did the cooking and served the clients. So I became a restaurateur……for 14 years. I had 2 restaurants.

When I joined the family business, it was my father Raymond who taught me the profession of affinage*. I admit I got bored after a while because things were not moving as fast as at restaurants. Two years after taking over my father’s business, the opportunity came for me to buy another shop in Annecy Le Vieux, which became La Crèmerie du Parc (CdP) in 2007. It was a big professional step to go from one shop to two shops. But I needed this to confirm and build my interest in continuing the business. Then almost 2 years after this, there was the opportunity to buy another cheese shop in Pringy, which became La Crèmerie des Charmilles (CdCh) in 2010. It was already a cheese shop, like in Annecy Le Vieux. In 2013, I was approached to buy a cheese shop in La Clusaz which then became La Crèmerie des Aravis (CdAr). The most recent opening was La Crèmerie du Thiou (CdTh) in Cran-Gevrier which was originally a bookshop and we transformed into a cheese shop in 2016. You can say I created a cheese shop almost every 2-3 years.

* Explanatory note: There are two transformations that are necessary for the making of cheese: the first transformation is by the fermier/laitier who turns milk into curds and then cheese while the second transformation is where the affineur nurtures the cheese, giving it time to rest in a cave d’affinage with the correct temperature (12°C or less) and humidity that allows the cheese to develop texture, aromas and flavours so that it is delivered to consumers in perfect condition.

IN: Why did your father pick Annecy as the location for his shop?
AM: I am the 4th generation in my family to work in the cheese business. My great grandfather was an Alpagiste and he made Beauforts. My grandfather was a fruitier in Annecy Le Vieux, with my father Raymond Michel. They collected milk and made Reblochons and raised pigs which were fed the whey from the production. After Annecy Le Vieux, they moved to Menthon-Saint-Bernard. They had a laiterie, and they sold milk, vegetables and fruit. Then they moved to Talloires. At that point, my father left the business in Talloires and bought the shop in Annecy. He was attracted to the shop because it came with the cave d’affinage. So you can say he bought the cheese shop because of the cellar.


IN: What is so special about this cellar?

Alain and Loris at the cellar

AM: My father believed that being able to do affinage in his own cave would add a unique profile of aromas and flavours and texture to the cheeses he would sell, compared to those sold by his “fromager” colleagues.

The cellar built into the calcaire foothill rocks of Le Semnoz originally belonged to the Château d’Annecy. It was many things before it became a cellar – a prison, the catacombs and lastly a bomb shelter during the Second World War. Before there were three cheesemongers who shared the cellar, they had all left and my father was able to take over the entire cave.



IN: Was being a cheesemonger always a dream of yours?
AM: My dream career is still being a restaurateur. My mother let me study at the Hospitality School in Strasbourg. With my restaurants, I was able to fulfil my dream career. It’s still a dream.


IN: You have 5 shops altogether. What is the split of sales between retail and wholesale?
AM: At CdL and CdP, the sales from retail have been quite similar. At CdAr, the sales are about 50% retail and 50% wholesale (on-trade to restaurants and bars). At CdL, the sales are about 70% retail. At CdP where we have about 200 wine references, the revenue is almost 90% retail. At CdTh, about 90% retail. Overall, the group’s sales are about 75% retail, and 25% wholesale.

Interior of La Cremerie du Lac, with an extensive cheese counter, and a Savoyard cheese corner on one side and a cold point selling yoghurts, grated cheese, fresh milk and butter on the other side, plus wine

IN: Is the clientele different in each shop?
AM: The clientele at each shop is different. At Annecy, the clientele is generally older. At Pringy, the clientele is much younger and they eat more cheese. For example, the average spend per customer at Pringy is EUR 23-30, whereas at Annecy, the average spend is about EUR 20. Naturally, I have great sales people at Pringy who are good at pushing more sales, often including wine. (CdCh has about 150 wine references available.)



IN: What is your vision for the company? What about your future projects?
AM: The next project is to build a network of franchised cheese shops. I have already changed the logo for the brochures and on the delivery vehicles. (Below left showing the old brochure and the new look with logo on the right). The plan is to market the brand “Alain Michel, Artisan Fromager” to potential franchisees who wish to collaborate with us to take the brand beyond the Haute Savoie region.

Old look on the left; new look on the right

I started the project about a year ago but I ended up having to spend more time on the business in Annecy. I am going to restart this initiative in September/October. Just recently, I had a phone call from Barcelona about a possible franchise in Paris! I believe the possibilities are there. With a structure in place (for example Baptiste looking after the overall Operations, Benjamin the cave d’affinage, Benjamin the warehouse, Fred the delivery, and all the shop managers), I am now ready to grow the business.


I recently bought the bar at the corner, next to the bakery (our tenant actually!). I want to open Annecy’s first cheese bar (“bar à fromages”), that serves wine too. The brand “Alain Michel” should be about cheese – so I want this to be a cheese bar first and foremost, not a wine bar. But we will serve wine, and charcuterie, etc.



IN: Over the years, what is the most important thing you have learnt?
AM: I think the most important thing I have learnt is to know your place and not go too quickly. We are in a business that works with products of the terroir. You have to respect the previous generation in this business. You also have to respect the farmers, even though you know you’re going to make a difference to the products through affinage. So knowing your place and making progress is important. One needs to improve and become better all the time. I could easily retire at my age and enjoy life, but that’s not me. However, what I have really learnt is that I need to have a plan and structure in place before making progress.


IN: Is the next generation in place to take over when you decide to hang up the boots?
AM: My son is 14 years old. At the moment, he has not shown much interest but I am going to teach him what I do. He will be able to do it differently from how I got into the business. He will have the opportunity to go to a Dairy School (L’Ecole Laitier) where he will be taught the technical and business skills. And he will go and live overseas to learn a different language. English as a second language is a business essential now – the minimum one needs to be able to speak to do business. When I was young, I went too early into the business, so my English is poor. But I think it will be a great experience for him to work overseas before coming back to France. Well, that is the plan but it will be up to him.

So I don’t know whether there will be a 5th generation in the business. Perhaps someone will come and take over the business with my name.


IN: But your father is still coming to the shop every day, at 8 am!
AM: Ah yes, but I hope when I get to his age (81 years old), I will be enjoying life and travelling. Perhaps I will go and visit Hong Kong!


IN: What is the score you give yourself as 1) the head of a business; and 2) a cheesemonger?
AM: (Laughs) You know at school, you always get “Needs improvement” (“Peux mieux faire”). So we can say “Needs Improvement” as my score for myself. I guess you can say I have achieved something in life – I have built my father’s shop into a business with 5 shops and 25 employees. It is a bit of an achievement but it’s not enough. The day I hang up my boots and sell my business, then I can say I have achieved something. Right now, I still need to build success upon success. For example, my next project is to make the cheese bar a success. I need to diversify as well – it doesn’t always have to do with cheese. The key driver is to build the business that has a solid structure.

At this stage, I am reinforcing my management structure to make it more precise and rigorous so that we remain profitable. With this in place, I will be able to finally become a real Chief Executive (“chef d’entreprise”) and negotiate better terms for the business.


I don’t need a lot of holidays. Having Sunday and Monday off is enough for me. Mind you, it is already much better than before. I used to go on holiday and I needed my father at the shop to keep an eye on things. Now I can go on holiday, knowing that Baptiste and the team will keep the business running smoothly.


IN: Who is your hero in life? Who has inspired you most in your life?
AM: My father. I am very different from him but he has been a real inspiration. He succeeded in adding value to his products with such tenacity, energy and passion. He really set a very good example for me. I still have much to learn from him. Look at the cheese he created this year – Le Florion des Moines! (IN: more on this in next article)

Raymond Michel, Alain's father

Le Florion des Moines, creation of 2018

IN: What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a cheesemonger?
AM: There is no shortcut. One has to really get stuck into the career. Either you learn on the job, from production to affinage, or you learn at a school, such as the CQP (Certificat de Qualification Professionnel en Fromagerie) in France. You do internships and like you, working 2-3 weeks at different companies, to refine your career idea, what you’re going to focus on. There is now a new certification in France called the CAP (Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle Crémier-Fromager) which begins enrolment from September, and which teaches the cheesemonger profession.

Lake Annecy

IN: What do you do to relax?
AM: I do sports – I do water sports and ski. I run sometimes. I do gardening and grow vegetables. We are going to have a dog in the family. To be able to taste the fruit that you grow is a real joy. But I haven’t done much this year – so the garden is not looking very good at the moment. And I love doing cooking. When we go on holidays, I take over the cooking from my wife, so that she can have a real holiday.






IN: Do you eat cheese at home?
AM: I don’t eat cheese at home. Of course, we have grated cheese and cheese for cooking. But no, I don’t eat cheese at home.


IN: Why not?
AM: First of all, (pointing to his stomach) look at this. Secondly, I taste all the time at the shop. To be good at this job, you need to taste every cheese to be able to describe to the clients and give them advice/recommendations. For example, the 24-month old Comté is just fabulous now – very fruity, powerful, very refined with “animale” aromas. We describe a cheese like we describe a wine.


IN: What is your best cheese-wine pairing?
AM: Champagne with Brie aux Truffes is my best pairing. Port is a good wine to pair with a lot of cheeses because its sweetness can really soften the stronger flavoured cheeses. For example, White Port with Roquefort is a very good pairing. At Christmas time, we sell a preparation of Stilton with Port. First we remove the top of the cheese and we pierce holes in the cheese and pour Port into the cheese. Basically, you macerate the Stilton in Port. Another classic example is Vin Jaune with Comté.


IN: How about a less classic pairing?
AM: I once did a pairing with 12 whiskies and 12 cheeses. That wasn’t bad too. And we are about to discover what cheeses we can pair with different sake styles! (IN: Later that day, we tasted a range of 4 sakes brewed in France by a French professional using rice imported from Japan.)


IN: Imagine you were a cheese. Which one would you be?
AM: Le Beaufort! It’s the Prince of Gruyères (“Le Prince des Gruyères”). The Gruyères is a family of all the pressed and cooked paste cheeses (“pâtes cuites”). The family consists of L’Emmental, Le Beaufort, Le Gruyère, L’Etivaz and Le Comté, etc. All these belong to the family of Gruyères. So when we say Le Prince des Gruyères, Beaufort is the prince of the family of pressed cooked cheeses.

Le Beaufort (source: www.fromage-beaufort.com)

Savoyard Fare

1 Sep 2018: Last night we hosted our first dinner at home since returning from France earlier this week. I had just completed a two-week internship at a cheese shop in Annecy (La Crèmerie du Lac), the flagship store of the group Alain Michel - Artisan Fromager. Annecy is a picturesque lake-side town, located in the Haute Savoie region, and only about 40 minutes by car from Geneva. The Alpine region, with the dramatic landscape of "cols" and "combes", is a haven for keen cyclists, hikers and mountain climbers. Recently, paragliding has become a new favourite sport with locals and tourists. The pastures that adorn the clay/limestone soils of these mountain ranges nourish herds of cattle (mainly cows, but also sheep and goats) that produce the nutrient-rich milk that is turned into fabulous cheeses.

 

Alain very generously gave me a present of cheeses and a bottle of Roussette de Savoie from the region to bring home. I am proud (and relieved) to report that the cheeses survived two train journeys and two flights including a long haul of 12 hours. Last night's dinner was a great occasion to spread the love of cheese with our gourmet friends.

Thank you Alain for the lovely present!

I know very little about the Savoyard viticultural region. The region covers 2,200 hectares of vineyards, and is made up of 3 appellations and 20 crus. The three appellations are: Savoie, Roussette de Savoie and Seyssel. Within each appellation, delimited areas with recognised characters have been designated "crus" and they are, with their permitted varieties in brackets:


AOC Seyssel: Seyssel (Altesse)
AOC Roussette de Savoie: Frangy, Marestel, Monthoux, Monterminod (all crus based on Altesse)
AOC Savoie: Ripaille (Chasselas), Marin (Chasselas), Marignan (Chasselas), Crépy (Chasselas), Ayze (Gringet), Chautagne (Gamay), Jongieux (Gamay and Jacquère), St Jean de la Porte (Mondeuse), St Jeoire Prieuré (Jacquère), Chignin (Jacquère), Chignin Bergeron (Roussanne), Cruet (Jacquère), Arbin (Mondeuse), Montmélian, Apremont (Jacquère), Les Abymes (Jacquère)


The wine we had was 2015 Roussette de Savoie, Domaine Louis Magnin. The domaine has been certified organic since 2012. They believe in minimal intervention, hence no summer pruning nor green harvest. The Altesse grapes come from two parcels planted in the Arbin commune, one parcel around 40 years and the other around 15 years. The training method is Cordon de Royat, and the pruning method is single Guyot. Vinification including malolactic fermentation partially in 500-litre barrels and the rest in stainless steel vats. During the 11-month ageing on fine lees, some batonnage is practised. This wine is a small production for the domaine, which focuses more on Mondeuse (55% of plantings) and Roussanne (30% of plantings).

How did it taste? The wine has a pale golden robe. An aromatic bouquet of almond, marzipan, citrus, honey, nougat, butterscotch, shortbread, with smokey and toast notes. Dry, fresh acidity, medium body with a mineral core. Smoky and nutty notes persist with the long aftertaste. Balanced, elegantly structured and complex. 17/20


There are some classic local wine-cheese pairings. For example, Chignin Bergeron is meant to give an excellent pairing with Beaufort, and likewise wood-aged Mondeuse with Tome des Bauges. They are definitely worth a try.


Alain's Savoyard cheese selection includes:
Reblochon de Savoie, Tomme d'Hérens, Le Florion des Moines, Beaufort Fermier Châlet d'Alpage and a Persillé de Chèvre

 

Clockwise from bottom left: Beaufort Chalet d'Alpage, Tomme d'Herens, Persille de Chevre, Le Florion des Moines, Reblochon de Savoie

The non-cooked pressed cow's milk washed rind cheese Reblochon de Savoie is a firm favourite for its creamy richness, that coats the palate. The thin pale orange rind adds a savoury note to the taste and a firmness to the texture of the cheese. It is made with unpasteurised milk. The Le Michel version is selected by Alain Michel and is from a single farm (hence fermier, indicated by the green casein label on the rind).


Tomme d'Hérens is a Tomme made with the milk from a herd of the Hérens cows (horned mountain cows with short legs). The taste is very delicately fruity, with a slight lactic acidic aftertaste.


Le Florion des Moines is a cheese created between Alain's father Raymond Michel and a farmer at Col de La Forclaz in Talloires-Montmin. This cheese was created this year to celebrate the 1,000th year of existence of the Abbaye de Talloires which is now a hotel-restaurant. This non-cooked pressed cow's milk cheese is made with the unpasteurised milk of a herd of Abondance and Montbéliarde cows. Research into 17th Century archives resulted in a recipe for this special creation, which could be best described as in between a Tomme and a Tamié, another monastery cheese. Monsieur Michel contacted the farm at Col de La Forclaz to experiment this together. Together they took months to refine the recipe of production and affinage. The cheese is ripened for a total of 70 days, in the cave d'affinage of Alain Michel. The resultant cheese weighing about 1.3 kg has a thick orange rind with brown spots (thicker than the Reblochon rind) and an ivory coloured supple paste. For the aromas and flavours, there is a harmonious marriage of fruity notes with Alpine grassy and savoury notes, with a touch of animal nuance at the rind. It is rich and unctuous, but well-balanced and complex. A unique cheese made by a single farm and nurtured by a single affineur. A beautiful souvenir of my internship. (A tip for potential visitors. Col de La Forclaz is also where people come for paragliding. After some mountain hiking or paragliding, you will work up an appetite for the restaurant La Ferme's famous beignets de pomme de terre! During my visit to the farm, I also tasted a very refreshing local aperitif called rosé-pêche: a drop of sirop de pêche (peach syrup) in a glass of rosé! A bit like a Kir, I guess!)


Beaufort Fermier Châlet d'Alpage is a cooked pressed cheese. This is the cheese made by a single herd of a farm, at the summer châlet at 1,500 metres altitude. It tastes both floral and fruity, with the complexity from animal and roasted nutty notes. A wheel of Beaufort is about 40 kg and it has a distinct concave vertical edge. A true "Prince des Gruyères".  Here Gruyères refers to the family of cooked pressed cheeses.


Finally, the Persillé de Chèvre, a beautifully matured Persillé, with a grainy texture paste and a thick rugged grey/brown rind. The paste tastes acidic lactic, with just the faintest caprine nuance under the refreshing citrus and sweet straw notes. A persistent mineral finish. Beautifully made and ripened.


And of course, we started with some saucisson Savoyard! This one is infused with génépi, a local alcohol.