Specificity of Beaufort
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Since 4th April 1968, the decree from the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (or A.O.C.) protects Beaufort, in particular its form and zone of production, imposing strict specifications guaranteeing its authenticity and seeing that it employs " local, loyal and constant methods" (race of cow, feeding...).
The respect of these specifications is rigorously enforced by the competent authorities.
Right to possess a located geographical area and a concave heel
The Appellation decree has limited the production of Beaufort to the Beaufortain, Tarentaise and Maurienne Valleys as well as a part of the Val d'Arly. This means that Beaufort has to possess its characteristic concave heel.
Since the sixties, the vast mountain pastures have found another function. They welcome holiday-makers who are able to benefit from the now world famous ski slopes: Val d'Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs, Val Thorens, Courchevel for the ski slopes of the 3 Valleys or La Plagne, but also, La Toussuire, Le Corbier, Valloire, Val Cenis or Saint-François-Longchamp in the Maurienne Valley, without forgetting Arêches-Beaufort and Les Saisies in the Beaufortain.
Certain obligations in order to guarantee the authenticity of the product for the consumers
Meaning a traditional product, specific production methods. The decrees of 1976, 1986 and 1993 stipulate the production regulations regarding the milk and cheese. The most important are the following:
- The milk must come from the Tarine and Abondance herds of cows in which production must not exceed 5.000 kg per annum per cow in lactation. The use of ensilage is prohibited in feeding. The main feed base is made up of hay and grazing grass. Additional feeding is limited and monitored.
- Each manufacturing stage is precise, from the milk's arrival deadline at the cheese dairy, to the preparing of the leaven and rennets, to the moulding in cheese cloth and the Beaufort wheel.
- Maturing lasts a minimum of 5 months.
- Within the context of the same concern for political coherence in high mountain regions, dairies producing Beaufort can only be supplied with milk which responds to the decree's criteria.
The terms "summer" and "chalet d'alpage"
The term "summer" applies to the "milk productions from June to October inclusive, including milk from the mountain pastures, according to local, loyal and constant methods".
The term "chalet d'alpage" applies to "summer productions, produced according to traditional methods twice per day, in mountain chalets above an altitude of 1500 metres, using the milk production from a single herd of cows in the chalet".
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