June Cheese Club: Featured Cheeses

Fromagerie La Suisse Normande, St-Roch de l’Achigan, Québec

The owners named their fromagerie La Suisse Normande because Fabienne, the cheese maker, is from Switzerland and Freddy, who looks after the farm, is from Normandy. They wanted to share their little corners of the world by way of their cheese. Suisse Normande is also a region of Normandy that resembles parts of Switzerland.

Cheese production is undertaken on the premises, directly across the street from the operation’s goat farm. They now make several varieties of cheese, as well as a line of goat’s milk-based bath and body products, including a variety of scented bars of soap that you can find in our shop.

Le Chevronné

This farmstead cheese is made from pasteurized goat’s milk. Similar in shape to its cousin, Le Pizy, its paste is smooth and bright white and covered with a thin layer of bloomy rind. The delicate caprine notes of this cheese are fresh and subtle.  It has a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth creamy white paste, has a mild milky, grassy and aromatic taste of fresh mushroom with a gentle tang which makes it a veritable delight eaten as is or cooked. 

Suggested wine / beer: a Rosé, a Sauvignon Blanc, Carménère, or a Belgian beer.

Fromagerie Montebello, Montebello, Québec

Opened in August 2011, the Fromagerie Montebello has a simple mission: ‘to create quality products’.

It started thanks to Alain Boyer and Guy Boucher.  Having been a cheese maker in Piacenza Italy, Alain dreamed of starting his own fromagerie.  Guy, a trained accountant, dreamed of opening his own business. With Guy’s financial planning skills and Alain’s cheese making experience, their dreams and the fromagerie became a reality.

Tête à Papineau

This cheese’s name comes from the well-known Quebec expression, “Ça prend pas la tête à Papineau,” which roughly means, “You don’t have to be Papineau.” Louis-Joseph Papineau was seen as a man of great intelligence.  He was a gifted orator, and the public clung to his every word. Papineau’s manor in Montebello, which he had built in 1850, is featured on the packaging.

Beneath its slightly orange-coloured rind with a fine white bloom lies a soft interior. La Tête à Papineau offers a lovely creamy texture with a mild flavour and herbal notes. This cheese has an orangey rind and a cream-coloured, smooth, unctuous paste. Its aromas are fruity and lactic, with an animal note. It boasts vegetal and fruity flavours with a hint of hazelnut.

Suggested wine / beer: a Chardonnay,  a Pinot noir, or a fruity beer.

La Fromagerie Blackburn, Jonquière, Québec

The Blackburn farm was established 80 years ago by great-grandfather Napoleon Blackburn and four generations later, in 2006, his descendants began making cheese.

Underground pipes which run below the street transfer the farm’s own milk from the bulk tank directly to the cheese factory. Artisanal methods combined with sustainable technological equipment ensure both quality and remarkable consistency.

Le Tré-Carré

This cheddar, made from pasteurized milk from the family herd, features a marbled paste flavored with organic black garlic from Ail du Moulin in Chicoutimi.

This firm, interior-ripened cheese is marbled with organic black garlic from Chicoutimi, offering a flavor profile with notes of dark caramel, coffee, and balsamic. This artisanal cheese is distinguished by its umami and coffee-like roast flavours and creamy texture and unique taste. Perfect for your cheese boards or for adding personality to your dishes, it will delight lovers of bold flavours.

Suggested wine / beer: A pinot noir or a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Chardonnay, cider, brown beer or a porter.