FERTILE LANDS
in the heart of Normandy
The Isigny PDO terroir extends across an area from the west of Cotentin to the edges of the Côte de Nacre and the banks of the River Vire. The Normandy countryside’s fertile soils explain the lush grass found there. Given that grass is the main source of food for cows during pasture-grazing periods, you can understand the importance of that pasture’s quality.
A DEFINED
geographic area
The milk used to create Isigny Butter and Cream is exclusively sourced from a defined area around Isigny-sur-Mer, in the Veys Bay.
That milk is collected from an area comprising 175 municipalities, including 93 in Cotentin and 82 in Bessin.
Exceptionally lush
PASTURES
Herds graze here for seven months a year, starting as soon as the weather permits. The five rivers criss-crossing the surrounding marshes, combined with the ocean spray, give these pastures unique qualities. The grass is rich in carotene, giving Isigny PDO Butter its famous buttercup colour and Isigny cream its distinctive ivory colour.
Maritime climate: AN ASSET FOR FARMING
The mild maritime climate of Normandy is conducive to regular grass growth and this, combined with its moderate temperatures,
provides ideal living conditions for herds in the region. This results in the milk having a high fat content and enables Isigny PDO Butter and Isigny PDO Cream to deliver a consistent level of quality
COMMITTED farmers
Dairy farmers play an essential role in our PDO status, as they produce the raw ingredient. They are involved from the start, in order to produce high quality milk from the Isigny terroir. This milk has unique properties that have been appreciated for decades, making this milk a cornerstone of Isigny PDO Butter and Cream Farmers guarantee the production of a rich milk that is particularly suited to making dairy products by enabling their cows to graze in pastures as soon as the weather permits and giving them a sufficiently large grazing area. Working in mostly family-owned farms, these men and women are committed to scrupulously adhering to the Isigny PDO Butter and Cream specifications, which include a requirement to put cows out to pasture as soon as the weather permits and to give them a sufficiently large grazing area.
These passionate farmers care for their herds year-round in order to provide the best conditions for milk production.
They are true ‘terroir landscapers’, caring for and shaping the land in order to preserve Normandy’s unique woodlands and pastures as well as the marshes of Cotentin and Bessin.
