AOC

Behind the efforts to establish a protected designation of origin is the common will of a region's growers and producers to protect their know-how and their product. To apply for registration under the scheme, those involved in the production process form an organisation, a trade association, also called "Interprofession".

The Interprofession Tête de Moine AOC which - besides the milk producers - includes 9 cheese dairies and cheese-ripening experts known as affineurs, defined the region of origin and the key elements of milk production, processing and maturing, as well as the quality control procedures in its requirement specifications.

Controls

The AOC specifications stipulate that regular quality controls be done. The cheese produced by each dairy is checked on a monthly basis by tests which comprise various assessment criteria. The designation Tête de Moine AOC  may only be attributed to cheese which has passed stringent quality testing.