Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
After completing a BPA + BPREA training course at the Lycée Agricole in Gap, I took over the family farm in 2000. The adventure, as stimulating as it is, is obviously not without its constraints: being a dairy farmer means milking 365 days a year!
Present your business
My 45 Abondance Tarine cows are milked six months a year on theParpaillon mountain pasture, where they graze on top-quality grass, producing exceptional milk and excellent cheese. Part of the production is sent to the Fromagerie de Château-Queyras, while the rest is processed on the farm.
Why did you choose to take over the family farm in Crévoux? What do you love most about your job?
The desire for continuity, the passion that has driven me since I was very young, I couldn't see myself living anywhere else but Crévoux, where I have my roots and feel free.
Beyond being a professional project, continuing what my father had started is a life project. Of course, you don't have to count the hours, or fear physical exertion, the cold or life in the great outdoors...
The passion came to me instinctively, and that's what drives and motivates me: to be constantly outdoors in the heart of nature, to go up to the mountain pastures, to lead a healthy lifestyle, to spend time in my cheese dairy, to ensure that my cheeses are made.
Clearly, I do what I enjoy, I love what I do and I'm proud of it!
What are the specific characteristics of your milk and cheeses?
I chose to go organic because for me, being in Crévoux was a matter of course, and it's good to have recognition. Above all, organic farming is about treating animals, the environment and people responsibly.
During the long winter months, the snow covers everything: no more grass to graze on! The animals have to stay in the barn, where they are fed hay mown between 1650m and 2000m altitude during the summer months.
During school vacations, I welcome visitors from 5:30 pm to 8 pm, and it's possible to watch the milking. This is an opportunity to engage in dialogue with holidaymakers, and to talk about an environment that's a world away from their everyday lives.
After the visit, it's hard to resist sampling the delicious alpine Gruyère and cheeses available for sale directly from the farm above the barn.
Your advice for an unforgettable vacation in Crévoux
Crévoux is a small village, inhabited all year round, which flourishes far from the hustle and bustle. A magical, wild place, between sensations and contemplation, it offers a marvellous interlude out of time.
Take in the pure mountain air as you stroll through the white immensity of the mountains. Here, the snowflakes that fall in December can be found again in March!
