Cheese production - affinage
The key stage in the cheese production is the 'affinage' or refining of cheese. Affineurs deal with the production and the care of the cheese. They get the raw material exclusively from smaller cheese dairies or from farmers which privately produce cheese in a traditional manner.
In ripening cellars, the cheese will get the care which is necessary for optimal development and quality. They will be brushed, beat, washed and rotated depending on the requirements of the specific cheese, until they have attained the ideal maturity and taste.
Having a sense for cheese and knowledge of its ripening stages is not sufficient to be a top affineur. As in each handicraft, skill has to be learned and refined over many years, and often the apprenticeship leads all over France, to the well-known cheese popes of the country. Similar to a talented craftsman who gives each work piece his signature, in the end each affineur is in charge of his personal style.
The affineur combines three jobs in one:
- to collect cheese from traditional production
- to produce the cheese
- to sell the cheese to his clients
Most of the affineurs in France run their own cheese shops to sell their products once they have matured.