Alexandre LAURET, in charge of the goat milk department of Actilait, is satisfied. Goats cheese is benefiting from a very good image, sales are increasing regularly and it is being exported more and more. « Consumers are appreciating it for its taste and it is being seen more as a natural, healthy, quality product » he points out.

As part of the Centre for Rural Excellence, the teams at Actilait and ENILIA-ENSMIChave had the opportunity to reinforce their already profitable partnership in creating new synergies. Both entities are developing a common project for the fat matter that comes from cow and goats milk. ENILIA-ENSMIC is working more on butter, its flavours, on emulsions ... Actilait on the taste, the nutritional qualities and the texture of goats cheeses. « Our goals are to innovate and to meet the new expectations of both specialists and companies ! ».

Actilaithas already worked on the stability of goats milk during heat treatment... Also on the AOC Chabichou du Poitou (AOC = official certification guaranteeing the quality of French produce). The institute has been approached because of the above, to study two new AOCs, one on « chèvre boîte » (soft round goats cheese), the other on « Mothais sur feuille », (goats fromage frais presented on a fresh chestnut leaf) a nice small round cheese with the most inviting flavours. These new AOCs will reinforce the future of the regional production of goats milk.

«As part of our research, we are also working on uses for goats cheese exploring its behaviour in cooking particularly in the oven. New recipes to accompany meat or vegetables dishes have been created... We are also working closely with a Parisian pastry chef on dessert recipes ! Through marketing actions, we also want to get goats cheese out of the cheese tray to have it tried as a starter, a snack, in a sandwich, ... to broaden the times of consumption and eating pleasure ».

Patrick CHARPENTIER
Breeder in Deux-Sèvres and vice-president for Actilait