Le Comté

First of all, Comté milk is produced on more than 3,000 family farms that practice extensive farming, i.e. farming that does not aim for the highest yields but rather seeks quality production, taking into account the particularities of the soil.

The farmer raises cows of the Montbeliarde breed (95% of the herd) or the French Simmental breed (5%), and feeds them with a natural diet based on fresh grass in the summer and hay in winter. All fermented feed, such as silage, is forbidden because it is harmful to the quality of the milk.

The flora of the Massif Jurassien is very diverse and, depending on where they are, the cows graze on different plants which will influence the milk and therefore the taste of the Comtés.

To produce the fodder necessary to feed his herd, each farmer must cultivate a minimum of one hectare of forage area per dairy cow. He milks his cows morning and evening. The milk must be taken to the dairy every day. In order to best express the diversity of the terroirs, the collection area of each dairy is limited to an area of 25 km in diameter.