9. Cheese from the 20th Century to today

At the dawn of the 20th Century, cheese production in France now boasts many cheeses amongst which there are those whose reputation says it all: Maroilles, Brie, Neufchâtel en Bray,  Camembert, Roquefort,  Bleu de Sassenage.

.The cheese industry progressed quickly with the collection of the milk used for the production of cheese. Between 1900 and 1925, industrial cheese dairies opened up in the Meuse and in the East; where the first culture ferments were made; the Roquefort cheese benefited from being accredited Appellation Contrôlée.

In 1962, Charles de Gaulle declared “we can not govern a country which offers 246 types of cheese”.

And Winston Churchill, during the German occupation, declared “a country capable of giving the world 360 cheeses can not die.”

In reality, there are more than 1000 varieties of cheese which represent the creativity of France and give a dimension to its civilisation. “ Delicate and living Subject in nestle In the identities and the traditions, cheese breathes the soul of the earth and its inhabitants,” as said by Pierre Androuet.

The first televised advertisement for cheese was in 1968, with Boursin. From 1973: a cheese can only obtain an Appellation d’Origine by decree, after the consultation of the committee. There are close to 45 cheeses classed as AOC. For example:  Abondance, Banon, Beaufort, Bleu d'Auvergne, Bleu de Gex Haut-Jura, Bleu des Causses, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Brie de Meaux, Brie de Melun, Brocciu, Camembert de Normandie, Cantal, Chabichou du Poitou, Chaource, Chevrotin, Comté, Crottin de Chavignol, Époisses, Fourme d'Ambert, Fourme de Montbrison, Laguiole, Langres, Livarot, Mâconnais, Maroilles, Mont-d'or, Morbier, Munster, Coeur de Neufchâtel, Ossau-Iraty, Pélardon, Picodon, Pont-l'évêque, Pouligny Saint-Pierre, Reblochon, Rigotte de Condrieu, Rocamadour, Roquefort, Saint-Nectaire, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, Salers, Selles-sur-cher, Tome des Bauges, Valençay, Gruyère francais.

Currently France produces the highest proportion of cheese in with regards to world production, with the other large producers being the USA, Denmark, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Great Britain.
France produces around 1.8 million tons of cheese, which, proportionally between surface area and production, means: 550,000 kilometres squared, 63 million inhabitants, which is a lot more than the US who for 9,400,000km² and 305 million inhabitants, produces 4.3 million tons of cheese.

Today, the cheese industry is at its height, France produces 1000 cheeses and the breeder, the milk farmer and the cheese maker remain the learned people who continue to perpetuate an art as old as the mists of time.
Small farm production is maintained with difficulty. This is why La Maison Androuet fights to defend these small producers in assuring market and giving value to their productions.