mothais on leaf wins the 16th AOC of goat cheese in France

It's done ! Twenty-four years after the first work meetings and twenty-two years after the creation of the union for the defense of mothais on leaf, goat cheese from La Mothe-Saint-Héray and southern Poitou obtained, this Thursday, November 21, 2024 , the green light from the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Inao) for the creation of a mothais controlled designation of origin (AOC) on leaf. This is the sixteenth AOC of goat cheese in France.

The decision must still appear in the Official Journal to be fully recorded. President of the defense union since last year, Laurent Bonneau, goat breeder in Triou, is already relishing the news: “We are very proud. This AOC rewards all the work that has been done for all those involved in the sector over the past twenty years. There is now a lot of work to put all this into action. »

300 tonnes per year

Everyone will meet on Wednesday, November 27, in La Mothe-Saint-Héray, to celebrate this recognition. The first AOC labels could appear on leaf mothais from the beginning of 2025.

The sector brings together around fifteen farmer producers, around ten breeders delivering milk, four artisan processors and the large dairy of Celles-sur-Belle. The production of mothais on raw milk leaves amounts to 300 tonnes per year, comparable to that of Chabichou from Poitou which obtained the AOC in 1990. The appellation should make it possible to promote and develop it.