Cave de comté
©Cave de comté |Cigc Studiovision

Delicious Comté cheese

You can always ‘Comté’ on me

“My dear Comté, king of the cheeses…”. The Christmas tree has its own nursery rhyme, so why not Comté cheese? This PDO is one of the most popular cheeses in France. And don’t think for a second that we pinched this product from our friends and neighbours in the Jura. Because, they are not the only ones who produce Comté cheese, we also have our own production right here in Bourg-en-Bresse destinations. More specifically in Drom and Villereversure, small mountain villages in the Revermont region.

dégustation de comtéComté De Villereversure2 Credit
©Comté De Villereversure|Aline Perier Aintourisme

Comté your blessings

Comté is made in wheels that weigh over 40 kg, 
and it is a tradition that is now almost a thousand years old.

Written accounts of ‘fructeries’ were even found from as early as the 13th century.  ‘Fructeries’? It’s not a typo, we assure you. This is the ancient French term used for today’s ‘fruitières’ (dairy farms). Where did this term ‘fruitières’ come from? There’s a simple explanation: the farmers came together and formed a cooperative for the production of Comté. They needed 400 litres of milk per wheel! Their venture was ‘fruitful’ thanks to everyone’s individual contribution. It’s all about solidarity and working together!

Finally, let’s give credit where credit is due and go and visit the official Comté website to unveil all the secrets of this fabulous cheese.

On the road to Comté

You’ll find the dairy farms in the towns of  Drom and Villereversure. But Comté cheese production doesn’t stop at the borders of our territory. We’re not like that. In total there are 140 dairy farms spread across the departments of Ain, Doubs and Jura. Add to that the 2,400 smaller farms producing the milk for Comté cheese, and there you have a whole industry. A well-organised and independent supply chain.

Le Fromager
in Bourg-en-Bresse

Discover the wide range of cheese and wines produced by Fabien Picard, a passionate fan of Comté.

Le Fromager is the name of his shop, just a few metres away from the Tourist Office, at 8 Avenue Alsace Lorraine in Bourg-en-Bresse.

Getting to the cheese shop

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