Inspiration

La Crèmerie des marchés

Cheese Shop

Dec. 2023

3 min.

A family affair and a passion for cheese

The Crèmerie des marchés Cheese Shop is above all else a family affair that crosses three generations.

Originally from Annecy, the Dubouloz family has passed its passion for aging cheese from father to son like a steady stream of knowledge in its purest form, an unconditional love of the final product as a life force.

Today, Marc, the third of his kind, has taken over the reins of the family business, respecting the traditions handed down to him by his forebears.

Aging cheese with finesse since 1950

Aging cheese is a demanding profession that requires a unique passion, an unbridled love for the final product, as well as extensive knowledge of the producers and their specificities as key ingredients for success. Whether in their shops in Poisy and Annecy-le-Vieux, at local farmers markets, or even online, at the Crèmerie des marchés Cheese Shop, cheese is the main focus of everyone’s attention. Pampered, looked after, and aged for several months, the selected cheeses are all treated with the utmost care.

This lineage, expertise, and story of men and women who passed down the secrets of their trade, required the type education, apprenticeship, and training that genuinely and sincerely comes from the heart. Alongside his father, Jacques, who won the “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” award in 2004 (“The Best Craftsman in France”), Marc received invaluable advice, and acquired the skills that only time will be able to refine.

Choosing which producers to work with also plays an integral role in an approach based on people first, since producers are the first link in the chain and responsible for providing a high-quality product made according to the highest of standards of their craft. Next, in the cool, humidity-controlled cellars, time works its magic to provide each cheese with the perfect degree of maturity, allowing customers to then enjoy the results.

Different cellars, different atmospheres

The aging cellars are divided into several different sections to cater to the microbiological structure of each family of cheeses. Whether hard cheeses, soft cheeses, cooked pressed cheeses, or ripened cheeses to name a few, they all have different needs.

Mindful focus day-in and day-out, in-depth knowledge and expertise about every single variety of cheese, and a profound respect for the work their cheesemaking partners accomplish, all in a day’s work for someone who makes their living aging cheeses. Within the depths of the cellars, set at just the right humidity, air temperature, and air flow, aging cheese requires a methodical and precise approach for every cheese; turning over some, salting others, and paying careful attention to each one so that it ages just right. Using all five senses, the work requires examining a cheese’s every facet: the color, odor, and texture all provide information on the aging process, until finding just the right moment to bring the cheese to market.

The environment in which the cheese matures has a considerable impact on its taste, smell, and texture. Each requires its own type of shelf material, wood or stainless steel, as well as specific techniques. Washed with a paintbrush, brushed, pronged, turned over, or immersed in brine, all have their own unique protocol. Three or four weeks for an AOP/PDO-certified farmhouse Reblochon cheese, three or four months for a parsley-sprinkled goat cheese from the Tarentaise Valley, and up to 24 months for an AOP/PDO-certified Comté cheese; cheese-aging artisans work to the rhythm of their cheeses.

For the love of cheese

The simple love of cheese serves as the guiding light for the long line of Dubouloz cheese agers; Marc adheres to tradition by the letter, continuing the work accomplished by his grandfather and father, while also adding modernity and his own unique touch into the mix. The website, online sales, and the option of picking up orders in the shop offer the opportunity for everyone to taste the delicious, iconic cheeses from here, there, and everywhere. With a selection of more than 150 cheeses, made with raw or pasteurized milk from cows, goats, and sheep, making one or even two choices is never easy!

Offering boxes, baskets, and trays for cocktails, dinners, or any other occasion, choose a pre-selected option prepared by the cheese agers themselves. Lovely round wood boxes are ideal to for the festive winter season, and open like a gift. The traditional “Savoyard” box includes AOP/PDO-certified farmhouse Reblochon cheese, IGP/PGI-certified Tomme cheese, Laudon blue cheese, as well as Tarentaise and “Yaute” Haute-Savoyard goat cheese, 100% local, with parsley-sprinkled goat cheese from the Tarentaise Valley, Moelleux du Revard with truffles, Beaufort cheese, AOP/PDO-certified farmhouse tome cheese from the Bauges Mountains, and organic blue cheese from Héry-sur-Alby are all genuine treasures to taste and share.

Award-winning and Michelin-starred restaurants in the area also benefit from this expertise; enjoy cheeses aged by the Dubouloz family at the following restaurants around Lake Annecy: Yoann Conte’s Maison Bleu, Jean Sulpice’s Père Bise, Vincent Favre-Félix’s restaurant, the Clos des Sens, as well as many others.