“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him…the people who give you their food give you their heart.”
(Cesar Chavez)
The story of the event or experience, how it started and evolved to its current form, when it started, what is unique about it, how popular the experience is with locals/visitors to the area etc…
The “Maison du Fromage” proposes a tour around the Brie de Meaux AOP. Historical reenactments and tableaux will allow the visitor to discover more about the history of this famous cheese.
The Tour presents the different steps of the Brie making, from the milk harvest to the maturing in cellars. Also, the visitor will learn about the current stakes for the Brie de Meaux AOP which is proudly represented by its Brotherhood. To top this discovery off, the tour offers a tasting every day. All year round, activities around Brie and Terroir are offered to you! Workshops, tastings, exhibitions…
To go further on the tour, vistors can visit the “the cheese dairy Meaux Saint-Faron”. It opens its doors to discover the secrets of manufacturing and refining Bries Meaux and Melun. You will begin your visit with the screening of a film that traces the rich history of the King of Cheeses, Brie. Then, in the heart of the cheese factory, you will attend the various stages of the transformation of the milk until the cheese ready to be consumed. Enjoy the end of the course, a tasting, commented by our expert cheese.
A tour can also be organised in Meaux, and visitors can take a train from Paris, and have a guided tour of the Episcopal Palace of Meaux, in order to understand the history of the Brie de Meaux. The guide will explain the story of the famous cheese of the Region : the Brie. After learning about Brie de Meaux, what would be better than tasting the cheese declared as “The Prince of All Cheeses” by Talleyrand in 1815 at your return on board?
Tell the customer what they will get and why they should include this experience in their itinerary.
What food/beverage is included, what producers they will meet,
The customer will discover all the Cheese Factory process, and of course degust the Cheese, the Brie of Meaux. The tour can start with the Cheese Dairy Meaux Saint-Faron, and they offer tours of the factory, where you learn about the cheese making process and finish with a tasting or une dégustation.
Back in the center of town, we headed to the Maison du Brie de Meaux, also known as the Brie museum. They offer a daily brie tasting. After the museum, there is also a specialty cheese shop in town, where you can purchase Brie de Meaux and other famous French cheeses to take with you back to Paris.
The last visit will allow the visitor to digest all the cheese of the day, and learn during a guided tour the history of the Cheese in this French Region.
The visitor will meet the employee of the Cheese Factory in Meaux, and could ask any question on the manufacturing process. It will be a full day of cheese tasting! This tour is interesting because it allows the visitor to discover a new town around Paris, which is not so famous, and learn about the cheese history, that made this Region famous all over the world. The visitor will learn about all differences of the Cheese tasting and manufacturing. It is a unique experience in a small medieval town, at 1h away from Paris. The town can be easily visited by foot, and not many tourist come here, it allows the guide to be fully concentrate on your experience.
List of Local Producers
Société Fromagère de Meaux : The Fromagerie Meaux Saint Faron was created in 1998, the result of the merger of 2 traditional cheese factories from Seine-et-Marne.
It was in 2004 that the cheese dairy decided to refocus its activity on the production of brie from Melun, Croupet and Jéhan de Brie for the local market. Today, the cheese factory produces and refines Brie de Melun, which it also sells in a shop, and makes nearly 80% of the production of Bries de Melun. The cheeses from the cheese factory are produced exclusively with regional milk. A guarantee of their quality, they are often awarded prizes, in particular at the Concours Général Agricole or at the Foire de Coulommiers. Today, Pascal Moingeon runs the cheese factory, as well as the 4 other cheese factories in Jort. With his experience in the sector, he affirms that “master cheese makers repeat ancestral gestures, precise, respectful of tradition and nature.
Opening of the Museum of the Brie de Meaux :
Opening hours on Saturday and Sunday between 11 am and 11.30 am and between 4 pm and 4.30 pm. except on May 1st.
From 01/11 to 31/03
Opening hours on Saturday between 11 am and 11.30 am and between 4 pm and 4.30 pm. On Sunday between 4 pm and 4.30 pm. except on January 1st and December 25th.
The costs are : Adult: 4 to 6 €, Child (4-26 years): 3 to 4.50 €.
And the spoken languages for the visits are French and English.
Guided tours of the Meaux Saint Faron cheese dairy – Meaux open From 01/01 to 31/12 between 9 am and 2.30 pm, and it is closed on Monday and Sunday.
You can reach Meaux by car, or by train (Line P of the suburban transports).
Find us here:
Meaux Saint Faron cheese dairy: https://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.com/en/2008-visites-guidees-de-la-fromagerie-de-meaux-saint-faron
https://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.com/en/1803-degustation-commentee-de-brie-de-meaux