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)