{"id":2440,"date":"2011-04-26T10:06:47","date_gmt":"2011-04-26T14:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cheeseloverca.wordpress.com\/?p=2440"},"modified":"2011-04-26T10:06:47","modified_gmt":"2011-04-26T14:06:47","slug":"la-moutonniere-happy-sheep-make-for-award-winning-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/2011\/04\/26\/la-moutonniere-happy-sheep-make-for-award-winning-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"La Moutonni\u00e8re: Happy sheep make award-winning cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alastair MacKenzie and Lucille Giroux with their sheep at La Moutonni\u00e8re in Quebec.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Lucille Giroux, Fromagerie <\/strong>La Moutonni\u00e8re was a second home, and cheesemaking a second career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 30 years ago, Giroux and her husband moved from Montreal to a farm three hours outside the city, so they could raise their children in the Quebec countryside. Giroux, who had worked as a nurse in Montreal, began raising sheep and selling both their meat and wool. A few years later, she began milking the animals and making cheeses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With her business expanding, Giroux took on Alastair MacKenzie as a business partner in 2000. He oversees the animals and farm, while Giroux manages the cheese side. Much like Giroux, MacKenzie got into the cheesemaking business in a roundabout way. He grew up in New Zealand and was a third-generation sheep farmer on the family farm.<\/p>\n

MacKenzie met his wife, Karine, in New Zealand; a native of Quebec, she was a university student studying abroad. When she finished her studies in New Zealand, Karine returned to Quebec, and after seven years of dating long-distance, MacKenzie moved to Quebec in 1999.<\/p>\n

Wanting to put his farming skills to use, MacKenzie searched for a suitable job in Canada. It was Karine who first heard about La Moutonni\u00e8re. She read an article about Giroux and her business while sitting in a dentist\u2019s waiting room. MacKenzie visited Giroux on her farm, and after discussing the business, they agreed to become partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here 11 years now\u2014time really flies,\u201d MacKenzie says. \u201cOver that time we went from making about 1,000 kilograms of artisanal cheese to over 12,000 kilograms now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheep herd now numbers 150. Three years ago, La Moutonni\u00e8re built a brand new cheese plant. While 95 per cent of their products are made with sheep milk, they\u2019ve begun experimenting with goat and buffalo milk as well.<\/p>\n

Giroux and MacKenzie are dedicated to raising \u201c100 per cent happy sheep.\u201d MacKenzie explains their sheep live a good life: they move freely, and go outside whenever the Quebec weather allows it; they have enough to eat and drink; and they\u2019re well respected by their owners.<\/p>\n

MacKenzie believes consumers today are aware of problems in the food industry, and many now want to know how farm animals are treated. There is a movement toward artisanal products, and a concern for animal welfare.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, there was this big movement toward organic, and it was very trendy until we developed industrial organic farms,\u201d MacKenzie explains. \u201cFor me, and for lots of the clients, they began wanting to know about animal welfare, whether the animals were given a good life. A lot of people know now that what happens behind the scenes of the food we eat is not good.\u201d<\/p>\n

At La Moutonni\u00e8re, the focus is on creating quality, artisan products and tending to the welfare of the animals that allow them to run their business.<\/p>\n

[youtube http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WDYwf5REas8&w=480&h=300]<\/strong><\/p>\n

TASTING NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n