How persistent is the appeal of a terroir today? In the second edition of Isigny Sainte-Mère’s company history, the author quotes recent surveys which found that 30% of all Europeans think that the provenance of a cheese is an important factor in their choice. Three quarters also responded that they eat traditionally-made food, which are identified by label declarations (43%), ingredients (33%), the production zone (29%) and last, but not least, brand (25%).

There is the online quip that ‘geography is history’ which may have a grain of truth to it, but it is fair to say that heritage and tradition are far from being spent forces. Not that tradition gets in the way of progress, far from it: for a tradition to stay alive it has to remain relevant and adapt to prevailing conditions.

The robot ladle invented at Isigny for Camembert production was a good example of a new technology in its day that was designed to preserve traditional production speeds but spare staff from the hot, sweaty conditions that went with hand ladling cheese curds. Gains were made by operating two dozen ladles at a time, but the texture and taste of the product remains unchanged.

Now, the technology has been installed and used by the entire French industry for about 20 years. It long since stopped being thought of as new, partly because there is no difference in the finished cheese. Nobody would want that to change, though.