The Coups de Coeur Contest

• Can you introduce yourself in 5/6 lines?
  
  

Léo Begin, cremier-fromager in Brussels, Belgium, where I opened La Fruitière in 2017 with my mother. Practically born in a Comté vat, I chose the Milky Way in 2012. In 2016, I obtained my CQP crémier fromager in Paris. Fascinated by the terroir and the little and big stories that make up the world of cheese, I decided to move to Belgium to open a polymorphous place that combines a retail creamery, a cheese bar and an urban dairy. Curious and voracious, I've forged a long relationship with the world of beer in particular, with whom I love to collaborate on a regular basis at international level.

• If you were a cheese, what would you be and why?
  
  

If I were a cheese, I'd be a Comté of course, for the symbolism it represents, for its role as the standard-bearer of a region, for its link with its territory and its inhabitants. There's a Comté for every moment of the day, for every taste and every desire. It's happiness at your fingertips.

• Can you introduce yourself in 5/6 lines?
  
  
  

Formerly a cheese maker in Paris, I've been actively retired for the past 3 years as President of the French Cheese Makers Federation. The federation takes care of the 4300 companies (store or market) by answering all that relates to the activity of cremier fromager. We've been in the craft industry since 2015.

• Can you introduce yourself in 5/6 lines?

I am an Onaf Master Taster and teacher of tasters courses. I have been passionate about cheese tasting all my life and very often I plan my holidays in order to visit particular dairies or production areas. I am curious about local cultures and I find that cheese, more than other food and wine products, is the representation of the unique traditions of a territory; I am passionate about the stories behind the products, as well as obviously the more technical part of the quality of the final product. In the last few years I’m assiduously participating in dairy competitions which give me the opportunity to learn about particular and niche products.

• Do you always enjoy cheese with...?
  
  

I always enjoy cheese with a good company! I believe that the best way to taste cheese is in purity, as it gives the cheese more space to express itself. But, if you’re tasting it with friends, let’s give space to imagination and add chutney, fruits, tea, wine or whatever it come to your mind! Just play and enjoy your tasting, your cheese experience couldn’t be better.

• Can you introduce yourself in 5/6 lines?

Jeanne Gaffet, Head Cheese Buyer and Cellar Manager for La Louve, France's first cooperative and participative supermarket, since 2016 in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Cheese is a childhood passion and making it an important part of her job after living across Europe is a real pleasure. And it's even more of a pleasure to help our cooperative members discover the diversity and quality of our cheeses!

Marco Lubrano, volunteer Cheese Buyer for La Louve, France's first cooperative and participatory supermarket, since 2016 in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. I trained as a lawyer and I'm passionate about cheese, because of my origins, with a strong bias towards Italian and Swiss cheeses, but a love of French cheeses; I've been infatuated with Anglo-Saxon cheeses for a few years now.

• Can you present yourself in 5/6 lines ?

Epicurean, globetrotter and agronomist, I created Bières & Fromages to discover the richness of these two exceptional products; through innovative, original and tasty alliances. I lead pairing workshops and I write articles on the players and products of the brewing and cheese industry. I am also co-referent for the association Buveuses de Bières which promotes the inclusion of women in the brewing environment through tasting and zythology.

• Do you always eat cheese with…?
  

... beer! Beers and cheeses: the gourmet alliance!

• Can you introduce yourself in 5/6 lines?

Ms. Ahlem Gharbi is Director of the Institut français d'Algérie, a French cultural institution present in five Algerian cities (Algiers, Annaba, Constantine, Oran and Tlemcen) whose mission is to develop cultural, educational, academic and sporting exchanges between France and Algeria.
As part of the Institut Français d'Algérie's cultural program, Ms Gharbi has set up a gastronomic highlight to promote French know-how in Algeria and develop cooperative initiatives with Algerian professionals. It was in this context that the first edition of the International Cheese Festival Algeria was organized in 2023, with Michael Belissa and Michel Fouchereau, to elect the "best cheesemaker in Algeria", Ms. Feriel Adidou, and to shine the spotlight on Ms. Imen Khazana, who was awarded the "coup de Cœur" prize and, a few months later, won a Gold Medal at the Mondial du Fromage in Tours 2023 for a unique "jbane al Qfass" cheese.
Convinced that gastronomy is a powerful vector for bringing people together and for social cohesion, Ms. Gharbi is keen to develop other projects in this sector, including a second edition of the Cheese Festival and training for Algerian cheesemakers.

• Can you present yourself in 5/6 lines?
  

Frequent jury member at international competitions for 12 years, Susan Sturman is the founder of Makers & Mongers, and counts among her clients Mons Formation where she developed the professional training courses for Anglophones, as well as Profession Fromager for which she translates all the publications, as well as CIFCA as a teacher. Originally from America, she chose France out of love for this country - including its cheeses!

• Do you always eat cheese with…?

Being purist I prefer my cheeses without accompaniment, except friendly friends! If you were a cheese, which would you be and why? If I were a cheese, it would be a good Saint Nectaire, all grey and well matured, with a strong character and a tender heart.