Cru

Almost all France’s PDO cheeses today are controlled by the large dairy giants, which oversee milk collection, dominate decision-making bodies, and impoverish and marginalize small independent local producers. Industry’s stranglehold on PDO cheeses, whose pretext is to develop them, has led to a standardization of flavor, a loss of biodiversity and a decline in quality. World-famous cheeses (such as Cantal, Roquefort, Ossau Iraty, Banon, Maoilles and Epoisses) now run the risk of seeing their names stripped of any substance.

Luckily, some small local producers struggling to continue making great cheeses. They are the cheesemakers of the French Slow Food Presidia, guardians of biodiversity and gastronomic tradition, who refuse to take the short-cuts of modernity and stubbornly go on producing cheeses and other foodstuffs, while still respecting naturalness, tradition, and taste, keeping alive an extraordinary heritage of skills, landscapes and respect for animals.