Par
Hélène Perraudeau
Published on
Nov 19 2024 at 9:53 am
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We have to go back in time to tell the story of the Chèvrerie des Alpines, located in Moyon-Villages, in Manche. A goat farm that produces delicious products very popular locally.
A farm that has developed well
We are in 1969. Roger Legoupil, at the head of the farm, decides to start raising goats. He starts with a herd of 50 animals. In the Channel, it is a pioneer in this matter, since it is the first to produce goat cheese there.
In 1980, he formed a Gaec with his son and the herd then numbered 250 goats. When he retired in 1993, one of his employees joined forces with his son to continue the activity. In the years that followed, the operation expanded and modernized…New partners appeared.
600 goats, four partners, ten employees
Today, Chèvrerie des Alpines has four partners, ten employees, 600 goats – from the Alpines and Saanen – and the production of 120 tons of cheese per year, in different forms: droppings, plain or with mixtures of spices, nuts – we recommend the one with fenugreek – but also logs, ingots or tommes.
In local shops and markets, we mainly find droppings and nuts.
Very locally established but not only
“We are very established locally but we also sell everywhere in France and a little abroad,” explains Etienne Vanhoove, one of the partners, responsible for marketing. Among sales abroad, the goat farm recently sent around twenty boxes of nuts to Kuwait! »
Etienne joined the goat farm ten years ago.
A return to his roots since he had completed his BTS dairy apprenticeship there in 1999. “An experience that I really enjoyed. » The proof is that he came back and chose to embark on the adventure.
An ultra-modern milking parlor
In 2021 and 2022, the goat farm will be equipped with new infrastructure, in particular an ultra-modern milking parlor, with a roto (turntable) of capacity of 60 goats. “This allows us to milk 450 goats per hour but also to optimize the comfort of the animals and employees,” appreciates Etienne.
Trafficking takes place twice a day, morning and evening. “That represents between 1,000 and 2,500 liters per day,” confides Etienne.
The goat farm also has a nursery, built in 2015, to raise small goats.
Recently, the farm has been autonomous to feed its 600 goats, thanks to the cultivation of 85 hectares of meadows. A great success for the Chèvrerie des Alpines.
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