Philippe Olivier, the well-known cheesemonger on rue Thiers, has moved back into a completely renovated store.
"A "new beginning" for the CCIBM's Vice-President of Commerce, Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole since 1990, former president of the C.J.D., and recent recipient of the national prize for best exporting craft business!
"A country that can give the world three hundred cheeses cannot die", said Winston Churchill during the Second World War. To which Charles de Gaule retorted: "You can't govern a country that has 365 varieties of cheese...".
That morning, we set sail for Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais). Not to talk cod, shrimp or smoked herring, as this northern, maritime destination might suggest. No, we came to talk about fourme d'Ambert, Ossau-Iraty, chaource or valençay, just a stone's throw from an emerald sea.
Philippe Olivier, vice-prevost of the Guilde, is working to complete a collection of songs and other quotations linked to the history of cheese. The aim is to pass on "the art, culture and tradition of cheese".
There's no need to introduce Philippe Olivier anymore, except to mention a double appellation that sums up his personality and his approach: Master Cheesemaker of France and Artisan Refiner. If the master has risen to the highest level, to the point of having his name engraved in the pantheon of gastronomy, it's because he has remained an artisan, that is, an artist in perpetual pursuit of perfection.
The future belongs to those who dare. What master cheesemaker Philippe Olivier has just achieved is exemplary, and should be known to encourage other entrepreneurs to take the plunge. He has just returned from Japan. It didn't cost him a penny. He awarded contracts that have enabled him to create two jobs. It's not much, but it's a lot. For his part, he has secured a not inconsiderable increase in sales. And, it has to be said, he has also served the cause of our country. His is quite a story. Judge for yourself.
Gourmets beware! For the 9th edition of the Cheese and Wine Festival, the Sofitel Tahiti Maeva Beach Resort and Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort welcome Philippe Olivier, winner of the 2005 Pudlo Trophy and France's best cheesemaker. On the menu, a buffet of 70 cheeses and 110 wines. Divine!
30 years ago, the region accounted for 5% of France's cheese production. Today, this share has fallen to 1.5%. In his ripening cellars in Boulogne, Philippe Olivier can't understand people's disaffection for their cheeses, an integral part of their heritage. For over 20 years, he has been fighting to restore the prestige of Northern cheeses.
A cheesemaker in Boulogne-sur-mer, co-president of the Cercle des fromagers affineurs, member of the Syndicat national des crémiers fromagers and the Fromages de terroir association, Philippe Olivier campaigns for the defense of real cheeses and raw milk cheeses.
It's a well-known saying: a company that doesn't move forward moves backwards. In an economic context that's not exactly inspiring, this maxim takes on its full meaning. At the Olivier family, cheese-makers from father to son, we don't like standing still. After Philippe, who has exported his cheeses and his passion to the four corners of Europe and as far afield as the Land of the Rising Sun, it's now the turn of son Romain to take up the challenge and attack the black gold market via Qatar, a country intent on making high-end tourism its second source of wealth.
