CHEESE GUILDS, THE BEST AMBASSADORS FOR CHEESE
The love of cheese finds its most colourful expression in the many cheese guilds that have been created in France over the last century. These are convivial initiatives that go well beyond a taste for custom and pomp.
‘Honni soit qui, sans fromage, prétend à bonne table rendre hommage’: such is the motto of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Taste Fromage, founded in 1954 and which describes itself as ‘the oldest cheese guild in France’, with over 15,000 members since its foundation, including 500 active members.
The oldest of the guilds is not an isolated case in France, far, far from it...
There is, of course, the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, founded in 1969, which boasts over 9,000 members in France and the rest of the world. But if you look a little further afield, you'll also come across the Commanderie du fromage de Saint-Nectaire, the Chevaliers du Brie de Melun, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Taste-Fromage de Langres, the Confrérie du Taste-Fourme de Laguiole and the Grands Fileurs d'Aligot de l'Aubrac.
This is by no means an exhaustive list!
The importance of ceremonial
Most of these guilds make their priority to respect the customs, organising themselves by rank (companions, knights, officers, commanders, chamberlain, etc.) and ensuring that 'chapters' are held regularly, often to coincide with major cheese-making or agricultural events. The ceremonial aspect is obviously fundamental.
As well as tastings, induction ceremonies are generally one of the high points of the guilds and help to strengthen cohesion between members by celebrating unity around a shared passion for cheese, illustrated by mottos and traditional songs.
Beyond folklore
But like any self-respecting guild, our cheese guilds are also distinguished by their members' outfits, which often feature drapes, brocades, houppelandes, medals, coats of arms and baroque hats. As Claude Leduc, Grand Master of the Confrérie du Maroilles, explains in an interview published on the website of the French dairy interprofession, produits-laitiers.com: ‘This is not folklore for folklore's sake, but a promotional tool that has proved its worth. (...)
What better way to get noticed, at a fair or a parade, than by wearing an original and spectacular costume reminiscent of the dresses of the notables of the Old Regime?
It's a dressing-up strategy that works, and one that perhaps reveals the true nature of these guilds: a desire to preserve ancestral know-how, to transmit it to future generations, and to bring it to life through spectacular, convivial events (tastings, competitions, etc.) that help to create strong links between producers, consumers and cheese lovers.
As well as folklore, the cheese brotherhoods underline the obvious: cheese is not just a foodstuff, but also the best way of conveying the values of a region.
And we hope to see them all at the next Cheese and Dairy Products Show from 07 to 09 June 2026!