Fromagerie Mons – Success in the USA!

Roannais refined cheeses in the ‘Big Apple’ !

Recent success by the Roannais region’s most celebrated and renowned refiner of French cheeses, Fromagerie Mons, has added another dimension to this region’s impeccable reputation for quality produce and style of gastronomy.

This remarkable achievement by Fromagerie Mons comes after much investment, development, commitment, care, and extreme hard work.

Fromagerie Mons is a quality, family establishment with a long, successful history behind it.

Now, Fromagerie Mons has fulfilled their ‘American Dream’ to develop an opportunity for a broad sales and distribution of their refined cheeses throughout the states, via Nurray’s of New York.

Over the years Fromagerie Mons, based in the little village of Saint-Haon le Châtel, in the Cote Roannaise, has successfully put in place a perfectly ‘refined’ export strategy for its products. Henceforth, up to 80% of its sales activities involve 19 different countries, with 30% in the USA.

Hervé Mons remembers that it seems a long time ago that the Mons business was given opportunities, and supported, by the best restaurateurs in the Rhône-Alpes. Mons is forever grateful that renowned international chefs such as Michel Troisgros have understood and assisted Fromagerie Mons’ entrée into international markets through the promotion of French gastronomy – first in Stockholm in 1989, then throughout Scandinavia, followed by Germany, Italy, and onward with more countries throughout the world!

Hervé Mons says that it was in the Piémont in Bra, shrine to the famous Italian truffle, that the American ‘Adventure’ truly began. “The Americans that were sourcing in Europe came to see me”, remembers Hervé, “We quickly worked for one of their shops in New York, and when you are in New York you have an opening to the entire world!”

Today, Fromagerie Mons fulfil 78% of their business with export (6.2 million euros in 2008).

One of the main keys to their success is their determination to ‘understand’ the needs of their clients, and to ensure the quality of product is of the highest standard.

Fromagerie Mons now works with Nurray’s in New York, and is starting to sell and promote a selection of Mons cheese products through its shops – “All Food Market”.

There are 266 of these stores throughout America. The objective for Fromagerie Mons is to be sold in all these shops over the next 3 years.

Fromagerie Mons has an excellent, knowledgeable, and professional team at their base in Saint Haon, particularly with Eric Meredith, responsible for quality, who is an American originally from Boston. In their American endeavours they are also assisted by Jedd Adair, a citizen of Nevada, who will be responsible for exploiting and developing the American market, and Laure Dubouloz, in charge of the US dossier.

A huge cellar for cheese ‘affinage’ in an old tunnel in the village of Ambierle in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes.

Obviously, to help support the widening of their international market with success in America Fromagerie Mons is developing their business further with the opening of a large storage cellar in Ambierle, and the investment of over 2.5 million euros over the next 5 years.

Hervé Mons, and his brother Laurent, know that the true base of success rests entirely on the irreproachable quality of the Mons product. Their business is now set on a path of long-term development, and at the start of 2009, they have already ear-marked 500,000 euros of investment in the development of a huge, old railway tunnel in Ambierle into an immense ‘affinage’ cellar – 180 metres long!

So, long may their success continue! Congratulations and best wishes to Mons!

Fromagerie Mons by purefrancenow – News and Reviews

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