Three young breeders relaunch the alpine trafficking in the Hautes-Alpes

After crossing the Izoard pass, I left the Briançonnais for my summer alpine journey between butter and oil kitchen to find myself in Queyras. Arvieux is the first village in this massif. In the green valley, the clarines resonate between the larches. Tarin cows, with a mahogany dress and eyes surrounded by black, peacefully graze the fresh grass of altitude pastures.

Every Thursday evening of summer, from mid-July to the beginning of September, a demonstration of milking open to all allows you to discover this essential moment of pastoral life. It takes place around 5.30 p.m., in the pasture.

Behind this initiative, a trio of passionate thirties: François Blanc, Damien and his young brother Simon Philip. Together, they founded the Gaec Val d’Azur, one of the last two dairy farms in Queyras. “Three young people in dairy cow breeding, it does not run the streets,” smiles François Blanc.

Tarins, queens with a strong character

Their herd has 70 cows, including 65 Tarins. This rustic breed, originally from the Tarentaise, is renowned for its robustness … and its temperament. “A tail is characteristic, almost decision -maker,” jokes François Blanc. “And to make a character cheese, you need cows of character. Their milk gives birth to the blue of Queyras, a mild cheese with parsley, exclusively with raw milk, refined between 45 and 60 days.

From May, cows find their bell necklace, a fresh grass at will and a peaceful pace. Until the end of October, they graze in the shade of the larch, regularly changing pasture. A mobile milking station allows you to follow the herd in its summer trips.

Milk is collected every two to three days by the Château-Queyras cheese cooperative, which brings together ten producers from Queyras, Briançonnais and Embrunais. This structure made it possible to create 14 full -time equivalent jobs and ensures the transformation and marketing of Queyras blue.

Since 2017, François Blanc has campaigned for this cheese to obtain the name of protected origin (AOP). “It’s long, very long …”, he admits. But the approach progresses. The recognition of this raw milk mountain cheese would be a great victory for these passionate breeders and for a whole territory.