Q & A

Do you have a lot of questions about our Cooperative, about our terroir, about our products, such as how to store them, how to eat them, where to buy them?

See our frequently asked questions on this page:

Products
Can I eat cheese if I’m on a vegetarian diet?

The vast majority of our products are made using calf rennet. Rennet makes up 0.03% of the ingredients of a cheese, and as a result, some vegetarians are happy to eat cheese.

The alternative to animal rennet is fungal rennet. In products with a Protected Designation of Origin, such as Normandy PDO Camembert, the use of animal rennet is traditional.
Can I eat your products if I am pregnant?
- Chantilly Cream: Our pressurised Cream is UHT (Ultra Heat Treated), which means that it is sterilised by being heated to a high temperature for a short period of time. You can therefore consume our pressurised Chantilly-type Cream without risk if you are pregnant.
- Pasteurised Butter, Cream and Cheese: These products can be consumed by pregnant women.
- Raw and microfiltered milk cheeses: These products should not be consumed by pregnant women due to the endogenous lactic flora present in these cheeses.
Are your products suitable for freezing? And for how long?
- Butter: Our Butter sold in mainland France can be frozen for 6 months at -18°C, subject to suitable conditions of use and storage.
- Cream: we do not recommend that you freeze our Cream, as there is a risk that its texture will change when defrosting (it could then become grainy and lose the properties for which it is renowned).
- Cheese: all our cheeses can be frozen, but soft cheeses such as Camembert or Pont-L’Évêque will change in character more quickly after defrosting. We do not recommend keeping your cheeses in the freezer for longer than 3 months.
- Fromage frais is not suitable for freezing.
How long do your products keep in the fridge after opening?
- Crème fraîche: can be kept for up to 1 week.
- Chantilly: our aerosol Cream is a pressurised product. Once opened, it can be stored in the fridge until the use-by date indicated on the product. However, we recommend that you clean the nozzle thoroughly with hot water before and after each use to avoid any risk of contamination.
- Fromage frais: keeps for up to 1 week.
- Soft cheeses: can be kept until the best-before date indicated on the product (if wrapped correctly).
- Pressed cheeses: can be kept until the best before date indicated on the product (if wrapped correctly).
- Butter: can be kept until the best-before date indicated on the product (if wrapped correctly).
Where can we find your products in France?

Our products are sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets, as well as in your local shops (in particular convenience stores, dairy shops, cheesemongers). Each shop chooses which products it wishes to sell.

To check the availability of our products near you, use our interactive map.
Where can we find your celebration range?

Our celebration range of products (flavoured creams and Petit Coeur d’Isigny cheese with Truffle) are exclusively produced and made available in shops during the festive season.

Each individual shop decides whether or not to stock these products.

As these products are seasonal, we are unable to tell you where exactly you can find them, apart from in our shop at the Cooperative and in Les Halles d’Isigny covered market in Isigny-sur-Mer.
How do you choose a Camembert cheese according to ripeness?
After maturing for 18 days in our cellars, our Camembert will continue to ripen over the following days and weeks. You will find the recommended best-before date on the side of the Camembert box. Here are a few pointers to help you enjoy it the way you like it:
- Maturing stage 1: 5 weeks before the date shown on the side of the Camembert box: the cheese is firm and “chalky”, this is the start of the ripening process.
- Maturing stage 2: 4 weeks before the date shown on the side of the Camembert box: it is semi-ripe (creamy around the edges and still firm in the centre)
- Maturing stage 3: 3 weeks before the date shown on the side of the Camembert box: it is creamy with a soft centre. This stage of maturing is preferred by many consumers.
- Maturing stage 4: 2 weeks before the date shown on the side of the Camembert box: it is fully matured, its texture is meltingly soft, its rind is beginning to firm up and its flavour is more pronounced.
For optimum ripening, we recommend that you store your Camembert in its original packaging in the most temperate part of your fridge (around +7 to +8°C, corresponding to the crisper drawer, for example).
Why aren’t all your Camemberts hand-moulded?

Not all our Camembert cheeses are hand-moulded. This is largely due to organisational reasons and also because it is a painstaking process. The repetitive nature of this process can put strain on our employees.

However, we have introduced mechanical moulding processes that respect the ancestral and traditional skills involved in making Camembert. Our mechanical moulding enables us to faithfully reproduce the manual action, while guaranteeing optimal dosing and consistency.

To find out more about our manufacturing processes: https://www.isigny-ste-mere.com/nos-fromages/notre-art-fromager
What does “EU origin milk” mean on the packaging of your pressurised Chantilly-type Cream and why does it say “made in Belgium”?

In 1969, our Cooperative invented the process for making pressurised “Chantilly” cream.

In 1995, our production workshop became obsolete and the investment required was too onerous for our Cooperative. That’s why, in order to benefit from the best techniques available on the market, we made the decision to entrust the production of our pressurised Creams to a partner, who committed to adhering to our strict specifications and to ensuring the traceability of the milk used.

Our production partner’s factory, where our pressurised Creams were made, was located in France.

However, our partner was forced to relocate production to Belgium. As there was no other subcontractor in France, we continued this partnership in order to maintain the high levels of quality.Lastly, the production of our pressurised Creams requires the very freshest milk.

The milk must therefore be collected from farms as near to the production plant as possible. Our pressurised Cream remains unique, and we work in close collaboration with our partner to offer our consumers a product of the highest quality, by virtue of our original Isigny Sainte-Mère recipe.

Find out more about our Pressurized Chantilly-type Cream
What is the “annatto” in your Mimolette cheese?

Annatto (or annatto Norbixin) is a natural orange colouring agent of plant origin that is traditionally used in the manufacture of Mimolette and many other cheeses. It comes from the Achiote shrub, which is native to Central America. This is what gives our Mimolette balls their stunning orange colour.

Click here to find out more about how our Mimolette cheeses are made
What is the origin of the E471 used in your pressurised Chantilly-type cream?

The E471 used in our Chantilly Cream is of plant origin.
Why don’t all your products have a list of ingredients on their packaging?

Food labelling is governed by European Regulation 1169/2011 (otherwise known as the INCO Regulation: INformation to COnsumers). Article 19 paragraph 1.d states that a list of ingredients is not required for “cheese, butter, fermented milk and cream, to which no ingredient has been added other than lactic products, food enzymes and micro-organism cultures essential to manufacture […]”.

For example, our Isigny Sainte-Mère Creams are made exclusively from pasteurised cow’s milk. This milk, which comes from Normandy farms around Isigny, is in fact the only element needed to make our creams along with fermenting agents (micro-organism cultures).

We have therefore chosen not to complicate our packaging with an unnecessary list of ingredients.
What is the difference between the percentage (%) of fat in “total weight” and “dry extract” given on the cheese packaging?
There are two ways of calculating the fat percentage (old and new regulations):
- Old regulations: the calculation was based on the dry extract of the product (without its water content)
- New regulations: the calculation is based on the total weight of the product (including its water content).
Under the old regulations it was difficult to compare products. For example, for the same weight, a fromage frais was labelled with a fat content of 40%, even though it is in fact much lower in fat than a pressed cheese, which was labelled with the same fat content.

This is because the fromage frais contains much more water. The more water a cheese contains, the lower its fat content.

To enable consumers to compare products, the calculation is now based on total weight (in the example below, 8% fat and 28% for a mature Mimolette).

Livestock farming
What breed of cows do your milk producers have?

Our milk producers’ herds are made up of Normande breed cows, emblematic of our terroir. They also own other breeds of cow, primarily Prim’Holstein. The latter is well-known for its productivity. Isigny Sainte-Mère has committed to a programme to preserve the Normande breed and offers a subsidy to producers who purchase Normande heifers. This subsidy is in addition to the support provided by the Normandy Region, which is also campaigning for the preservation of the Normande breed.
Do the cows graze all year round?

The cows reared by our Cooperative’s milk producers graze from spring to autumn. Winter is not very favourable for grazing, as the ground becomes waterlogged and even flooded in the Cotentin and Bessin marshes.

Bringing the cows in helps to protect the environment (preventing the cows from trampling the meadows that will feed them in the spring) and ensures the well-being of the cows (from November to around March, the animals are housed in specially adapted buildings that are sheltered from bad weather and that comply with environmental standards).
How are your producers’ cows fed?

The Isigny terroir lies in the heart of Normandy, between land and sea. It benefits from a wetland area with a mild climate that provides rich, dense and abundant grazing for our producers’ cows. Weather permitting, the cows graze in this idyllic setting for 7 to 8 months of the year.

This exceptional terroir means that every cow can benefit from grazing in the pastures, and dairy farmers can prepare a stock of grass-based fodder on the farm in the form of hay and silage to feed them when they can no longer remain outside.

The farmers also grow corn, which is given as a supplement, guaranteeing quality energy feed when the grass is less abundant. Our Cooperative ensures that the cows are fed a balanced diet so that they can produce good Normandy milk, an exceptional raw material recognised worldwide for its richness in fat and trace elements, and that promotes the good health in every cow. All the Cooperative’s farms produce GMO-free milk, which means that no GMO feed is used for our dairy cows.

Tourism questions
What are the opening hours of the Cooperative’s “La Fromagerie” shop?
Our shop is located near the Cooperative (2 rue du Docteur Boutrois in Isigny-sur-Mer) and is open from Monday to Saturday:
- April to August, non-stop from10 am to 7 pm
- September to March, from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm, in winter from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm, and in summer non-stop from 10 am to 7 pm.
The shop is open on local public holidays except for 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. It is closed on Sundays.
Where and when can I buy Isigny Sainte-Mère ice cream?
There are two places in Isigny-sur-Mer where you can enjoy our delicious ice creams in cones or tubs:
- From 1 April to 1 September at the Cooperative’s “La Fromagerie” shop (rue du Docteur Boutrois), Monday to Saturday from 1 pm to 7 pm (11 am to 7 pm in July/August)
- From 1 April until the French “Toussaint” half-term break (end of October/beginning of November) at Les Halles d’Isigny (Rue du 19 Mars 1962, 14230 Isigny-sur-Mer) 7 days a week from 1 pm to 7 pm (11 am to 7 pm in July/August)
All year round, you can buy our ice cream in 50 cl tubs in the “La Fromagerie” shop or at Les Halles d’Isigny covered market.
What flavours of ice cream do you offer?

You can enjoy our ice creams in tubs or cones, with a choice of 3 flavours: vanilla, caramel or strawberry. These can be enjoyed with a delicious salted butter caramel, strawberry or chocolate sauce.
Can we visit your production site?

Unfortunately, for a number of years now, we have not been offering tours of the Cooperative for health, safety and organisational reasons.

However, we do have a visitors’ area where you can find out a little more about how our caramels and dairy products are made.

Our shop, located in the heart of the Cooperative in Isigny-sur-Mer, sells all Isigny Sainte-Mère products.

Other
How do I apply for a job at the Cooperative?

We regularly publish job vacancies. If you are interested in joining our company, you can submit your application via our recruitment page. You can view current job vacancies and apply for them, or even submit a speculative application.
I have a problem concerning the infant milk powder manufactured by your Cooperative. Whom should I contact?

Our Cooperative manufactures infant milk powder for infants, but does not market it. We therefore invite you to contact the customer service team of the brand indicated on your infant milk powder container.

Q & A

Products

Can I eat cheese if I’m on a vegetarian diet?

Can I eat your products if I am pregnant?

Are your products suitable for freezing? And for how long?

How long do your products keep in the fridge after opening?

Where can we find your products in France?

Where can we find your celebration range?

How do you choose a Camembert cheese according to ripeness?

Why aren’t all your Camemberts hand-moulded?

What does “EU origin milk” mean on the packaging of your pressurised Chantilly-type Cream and why does it say “made in Belgium”?

What is the “annatto” in your Mimolette cheese?

What is the origin of the E471 used in your pressurised Chantilly-type cream?

Why don’t all your products have a list of ingredients on their packaging?

What is the difference between the percentage (%) of fat in “total weight” and “dry extract” given on the cheese packaging?

Livestock farming

What breed of cows do your milk producers have?

Do the cows graze all year round?

How are your producers’ cows fed?

Tourism questions

What are the opening hours of the Cooperative’s “La Fromagerie” shop?

Where and when can I buy Isigny Sainte-Mère ice cream?

What flavours of ice cream do you offer?

Can we visit your production site?

Other

How do I apply for a job at the Cooperative?

I have a problem concerning the infant milk powder manufactured by your Cooperative. Whom should I contact?