A territory rich in flavour

The territory of Faucigny is rich in local produce..

Agriculture is not a poor relation of the world famous industrial sector. A third of the territory of the département of Haute-Savoie is given over to  agriculture .The farmers of the Contract’s 29 communes work 10% of the total farmland of Haute-Savoie, essentially in grazing farming mainly for milk producing animals.

19 tonnes of milk are produced every year by the farmers of our 29 communes ; that is : 14 tonnes delivered to the cooperatives and around 5 tonnes converted by cheese-maturers.
The dynamic character of  this sector is  well relayed  by the three farmers’ associations : the AFA for the Arve Valley territory, the SICA des Bornes for the mountain territory of Borne-Bargy and the  SICA du Giffre for the  Giffre Valley territory.

L’ENILV  The National School for Milk and Meat Industries and the Agricultural College of  Contamine sur Arveare also instrumental in the dynamic character of this sector.


The Cheese Board
All the cheeses produced in our territory are either  AOC or Label Savoie  , guarantees of quality and  flavour.
The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (def : limits the areas of production and guarantees the traditional breeding, production and maturing).

Abondance : fruit of a soil-respect for quality

As early as the 14th century, the monks of the Abbey of Abondance selected a race of diary cows which took on the name of the valley where they cleared forests to make pasture grounds. Abondance is produced exclusively from the raw whole milk of mountain cattle. Its smooth rind , amber in colouring, bears the marks of the cloth  that it is wrapped in in the mould.

Did you know? : A blue casein seal , oval for farm produce and square for diary produce, is affixed to the cheese for producer  traceability.

Chevrotin : a long history

The production of Chevrotin has existed for more than three centuries, alongside that of Reblochon.
This small cheese of raw whole milk is a very original goat’s cheese. It is produced exclusively by farmers from the milk of their one herd of alpine goats.



Its production technique  (pressed un-ripened soft cheese and washed rind) is unique in goat’s cheeses. This originality  coupled with at least 21 days’ maturing, turning at regular intervals, give it its beautiful pinkish- white colour , a most choice cheese with a very characteristic flavour.

Did you know? : The production of Chevrotin is at its height in spring and summer.