A worthy ambassador for Le Gruyère AOP
In the video promoting Le Gruyère AOP, you can see Nicolas Clément working in the milking parlour. This milk producer from Le Mouret was willing to play along and welcomed a film crew to make a video clip. The video highlights Gruyère AOP through the actions of a producer, a cheesemaker, an appraisal officer, and a maturer (affineur).
"We have always bred. We like to produce quality milk with healthy cows. Of course, participating in the production of Le Gruyère AOP is a plus. We are proud to have a noble product with a well-functioning supply chain."
Nicolas Clément, Milk producer
Nicolas Clément is a passionate person. He divides his time between a 60% job at the family farm La Waebera, which belongs to his father Michel, and a job as a classifier: "I like to divide my time between these two occupations. It opens my mind and allows me to meet other professionals involved in dairy production." Together with 19 colleagues, he travels around Switzerland to classify cattle on dairy farms according to morphological criteria with the aim of improving the breed over the generations.
On the farm, the Clément family has 200 head of cattle, including about 70 dairy cows. "We have always bred. We like to produce quality milk with healthy cows. Of course, participating in the production of Le Gruyère AOP is a plus. We are proud to have a noble product with a well-functioning supply chain." The farm produces 650,000 kg of milk for Le Gruyère AOP. There are four or even five people who share the work, Michel, who is also president of the dairy company and a delegate of the IPG, Nicolas, his wife Caroline, who also did an agricultural apprenticeship, and one or two apprentices.
When the IPG asked him to take part in the video, he gladly accepted. "It's an experience we're not used to. I was curious to see how such a filming process works." However, he agreed on one condition: "I wanted us to show a real vision of our work. It was important to me to show an artisanal production with today's means." The boy who accompanies him in the video is a young actor: "I was surprised. He is not from the farming world. Yet he was at ease with the animals, even though it was his first time to be near cows. He was curious and interested in the farm."
Nicolas and Michel Clément sell bulls for breeding. They keep one as a stud, although they usually use artificial insemination. They are always looking to correct a defect or improve a performance. "In genetics, one plus one is not two. It takes time to make a cow that meets all the criteria for excellence. But over the years we have seen an evolution through genetics and feeding. Our cows are producing more and more easily and they are healthy."
The photo on display in the office is proof of this. Next to the prizes won in competitions, you can see Oceania, a Red Holstein who has produced 100,000 kg of milk over more than 10 years. "She is our mascot. Today she is 16 years old and retired. Her daughter Tina has also produced 100,000 kg of milk."
Campaign
