Very recently, the Cabasses cheese dairy, in Verrières, obtained its CSR label. The opportunity for the family business to take on a new dimension while the requirements necessary to obtain this label have always been part of the company's DNA.
On a plateau overlooking the Causses, the Cabasses cheese dairy, in Verrières in South Aveyron, is in the middle of construction. Next to the old building dedicated to production, a brand new one is being built on which photovoltaic panels will be installed. It should be operational next summer. Quite a symbol for the cheese factory founded more than forty years ago, in 1981, by the Dombre, Rosine and Jean-François family who bought land abandoned for decades to found this cheese factory.
The cheese factory founded forty years ago
This farm, called Les Cabasses, in reference to the young shoots which regenerate the chestnut forests, will also see the children of Rosine and Jean-François come and bring their skills and give the family business another dimension.
Lucie Dombre is administrative manager, Charles takes care of breeding and marketing and Élise works on production. “We each have different backgrounds and then we decided more or less at the same time to return to the family farm. It was all three of our dreams to one day be able to work on the farm. We each bring our skills to serve the cheese factory”, recounted Lucie Dombre.
Already engaged in the process
And, very recently, with obtaining the CSR label, the family business wrote a new chapter in its history. “We were already engaged in this process, without really knowing it,” explains Lucie Dombre. “Even though we had to follow rigorous specifications to obtain it, it wasn't too difficult for us. And then, the advantage of a structure like ours is being able to adapt quickly”.
This label is renewed every three years. “Which also requires us to maintain a certain level of standards,” continues Lucie Dombre. “At the same time, we notice that our customers are also attached to this mark of trust that is the CSR label.”
Nearly 180 tonnes of cheese produced per year
Today, nearly 180 tonnes of cheese are produced each year, thanks to a herd of 450 sheep to which is added the collection of milk from around ten sheep milk producers, all located around the cheese factory. Ladle-molded cheeses, each are patiently turned by hand by the cheese factory's employees. “It’s patient work that requires a certain amount of know-how,” explains Lucie Dombre. A know-how that the new generation installed at the head of the cheese factory intends to perpetuate.
