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More than a valley, a cradle for raising cattle

Today, Abondance is produced by more than 70 farms and a dozen small creameries. Made exclusively from the whole and unpasteurized milk of Abondance, Tarine and Montbéliarde cows, this cheese is produced in the mountainous region of Haute-Savoie, stretching from the Abondance Valley to the Aravis, passing by the Pays du Mont-Blanc.

The marks present on the crust of Abondance cheese are due to the linen cloth that surrounds the cheese during the moulding process. Matured for a minimum of 100 days in cool moist caves, Abondance is identified with a green oval label for farm cheeses and a red square label for creamery cheeses. This identification mark guarantees traceability and makes it possible to locate the production site of each wheel.

I know few places in the Alps where you can find such a wide variety of views and romantic sites. [...] I know few valleys in Savoy where the people appear as happy as in Abondance.
ALBANIS BEAUMONT /
Description des Alpes grées et cottiennes, 1804

Nature,
a true moment

Rock faces or gentle slopes, a quiet river or raging torrents, this environment is the sanctuary of preserved species such as La Reine des Alpes (Queen of the Alps), the Sabot de Venus (lady’s slipper orchid) and the Rhododendron hirsutum (the hairy alpenrose). They benefit from preservation orders to protect their habitat at two sites: the Cornettes de Bise and the Mont de Grange, which are listed among the European Natura 2000 conservation sites. However, the rambler can encounter marmots, mountain goats, martagon lilies or edelweiss at a turn in the road. It is in this ecosystem that the Abondance breed of cattle has evolved.

Adapted to nature

In order to adapt to these natural conditions, the inhabitants have developed an economic and social system specific to the mountain regions: agro-pastoral systems, concerted exploitation and maximisation of mountain pastures and meadows. Each year, valley life is regulated by the ascent and descent of cattle, the gradual displacement of the herds between the bottom of valley and the mountain pastures.