The first shipment of equipment arrived for the cheese factory. It was located behind the church where Michon Dry Cleaners is now. In 2000, the company purchased the parking lot belonging to the wildlife officers and the SADC.
Today, a fantastic team of 45+ employees works to ensure the smooth operation of the business, each contributing their talents to the cheese factory’s continued success.
In this photo, you can see Danielle Lavoie, former co-owner, holding a hockey (cheese butt knife).
Danielle Lavoie, former co-owner.
The cheese factory began operations in July 1996. At that time, we were five employees: a cheesemaker, a cheesemaking assistant, a cashier, a manager and a distributor.
Production started modestly with 1,200 liters of cheese curds and about 500 liters of yellow cheese for the blocks.
The pasteurizer operated at a rate of 19 liters per hour… compared to 9,000 liters per hour today!
The co-owners: Pierre Vachon, Léon Poirier, Paul Julien and Réal Bérubé.
The cheese factory began operations in July 1996. At that time, we were five employees: a cheesemaker, a cheesemaking assistant, a cashier, a manager and a distributor.
Production started modestly with 1,200 liters of cheese curds and about 500 liters of yellow cheese for the blocks.
The pasteurizer operated at a rate of 19 liters per hour… compared to 9,000 liters per hour today!
The co-owners: Pierre Vachon, Léon Poirier, Paul Julien and Réal Bérubé.
Liette Bruneau, 1st cashier.
The name La Vache à Maillotte comes from a children’s rhyme, one of the first melodies learned on the piano. Almost all cheese names originate from musical terms: Fredondaine, Allegretto, Mélodieux… The first to be created was Allegretto, developed in collaboration with a sheep’s milk producer in Abitibi-Ouest.
The cheese sold in grocery stores was sold in bulk. The grocery stores themselves processed it into individual portions and applied the labels.
In 2020, La Vache à Maillotte cheese factory made a significant investment to automate part of its production process. This initiative aimed to support its dedicated employees by simplifying their work, while maintaining the same high-quality original product.
Whey butter production began in 2021, with the goal of reducing the cheese factory’s environmental footprint. A win-win solution in every respect! This green shift has allowed them to create a butter with a unique flavor at a highly competitive price.
