|
The
origins of Le Maréchal
The origins of Le Maréchal cheese – a ‘tough guy’ with a
soft heart - can be traced back to a union of genius and passion. The
genius of a traditional cheese maker, Jean-Michel Rapin from
Granges-Marnand (in the Vaudois river Broye region) who, well before
anyone else, anticipated consumer expectations regarding genuine quality
products. And the passion of a team of dairy producers who set
themselves the challenge of developing and guaranteeing the originality
of a special cheese with a smooth, creamy taste.
As early as the beginning of the 1990s the idea of
producing a speciality different from Gruyère gained ground with the
cheese maker from Granges who has thus found a personal solution to the
liberalization of the cheese market in Switzerland. Le Maréchal’s
melt-in-your-mouth texture, subtly impregnated by the aromas of the
herbs rubbed on by hand during the ripening process, immediately came up
to the expectations of gourmets in search of authenticity.
Since 1992, when the first Le Maréchal cheese wheels were
maturing in the cellars of the dairy in Granges, the master cheese
maker’s initiative has gone from strength to strength. Le Maréchal is
very popular now and has found pride of place on the finest tables.
|
 |
Some history on how the label came into being
From the first samplings of the fine, firm cheese he had
just created, Jean-Michel Rapin set about finding a name which would
suit the product’s independent, original and generous character.
Quite naturally memories of his great-grandfather, Emile
Rapin, came back to him. Emile Rapin lived from 1852 to 1943 in
Corcelles-près-Payerne, a Broyard village where he was the blacksmith,
‘le maréchal-ferrant’ in French. Deeply attached to his profession, he
was remembered by people as an authentic and conscientious craftsman, a
really robust character with a warm heart under rather a tough skin.
No doubt about it, that particular ‘maréchal’ certainly
deserved a capital letter on the label honouring an illustrious cheese.
The ancestor’s craggy face with his bushy moustache and mischievous
expression now adorns a product which is appreciated as far afield as
North America.
|
