Christmastime at Old Europe Cheese of Benton Harbor is a time of celebration, a time of recognition, and a time of change. The award-winning artisan cheese company is celebrating 30-years in business, seven new medals from international competition among the finest cheeses in the world, and the retirement of their long time captain of industry, General Manager Francois Capt. 
A remarkably innovative cheese maker, Francois Capt arrived from France several dozen years ago on one fateful day in Benton Harbor, with just a small suitcase and a head full of infinite cheese making wisdom. Being a 4th generation family cheese maker, Francois possessed the skills and talents diligently passed along from his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. In addition to family heritage, Francois also brought with him considerable professional knowledge of cheese making, having earned his degree in Dairy Science from Mamirolle University in France.
He helped to guide the Old Europe endeavor since its very inception and crafted an award-winning enterprise over his own 30-year career with the company which sells its products worldwide under the Reny Picot brand dating back to 1987. Francois retired at the end of November.
The teeming plant, nestled between the pristine waters of Lake Michigan and the rolling hills of Michigan wine country, has produced an amazing array of cheeses since day one. The cheese makers there have been handcrafting artisan specialty cheeses along E. Empire Avenue in Benton Harbor ever since Francois’ arrival.
Francois says the plant location was carefully selected those 30 years ago for several key reasons.
First, the Old Europe Cheese facility was previously a milk processing plant so the rudimentary infrastructure was already in place. What had to be added were cheese making vats, molding equipment, brining tanks, curing cellars, and packaging equipment. All the pieces to the puzzle to outfit the plant were carefully selected by Francois based on functionality and design. Then, he began his master plan to make the very best:
- Special open cheese making vats were imported from France, which allowed for the tried and true method of hand cutting the cheese curd.
- German and French molding equipment arrived featuring gent curd forming applications to prevent damage to the delicate cheeses.
- Spanish tradesmen installed state-of-the-art brining systems that incorporated old world processes with modern technology.
- French technicians arrived to build curing cellars that allowed for the perfect environment to age the cheeses.
- Lastly, cutting and packaging equipment was carefully pieced together utilizing the best from Holland, France, Spain and the United States to ensure the perfect wrap on the perfect cheeses.
Naturally, the finest cheeses in the world are only as good as the raw materials and ingredients that go into the finished product, and the milk source selected was from the Michigan Milk Producers Association, which ensured Old Europe Cheese a constant supply of fresh wholesome USDA grade milk from family farm members.
The family farmers of the Michigan Milk Producers made a commitment to produce pristine milk free of all harmful additives, chemicals, pesticides, and antibiotics. With only the freshest, purest milk utilized, Old Europe Cheese would have the perfect medium to begin cheese making. Francois always pointed out, “Just as a skilled winemaker does not start with bad grapes, nor does an artisan cheese maker begin handcrafting cheese with low class milk.”
Another unique feature that Francois and Old Europe Cheese have long imparted on the cheese making process is to integrate the use of proprietary cheese cultures incubated right on site. Just like San Francisco sour dough bread uses mother starter yeasts for all the bread, Francois and the cheese makers at Old Europe Cheese have harvested exclusive starter cultures from carefully nurtured vats right at the plant.
As Old Europe Cheese makers remind everyone, “Each piece of Reny Picot Old Europe Cheese the world enjoys has been carefully handcrafted by all the partners in one form or another.”
After 30-years at the helm, Francois Capt retired three weeks ago at the end of November, but his successors will carry on the award-winning tradition for years to come and continue to grow the brand through expertise and innovation.
Meanwhile, the crew at Old Europe Cheese recently returned from Bergen, Norway with seven new awards from the World Cheese Awards, keeping them in the elite winner’s circle worldwide.
A truly global cheese event, the World Cheese Awards has been bringing together cheese makers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators worldwide for more than three decades.
The 2018 edition of the World Cheese Awards was part of a brand new festival, Matnasjonen Norge, where a record-breaking 3,500 cheeses from 41 nations in virtually every corner of the globe lined up in the judging hall at Bergen’s Grieghallen early last month and were judged by an international panel of 230 experts from 29 nations.
Reny Picot cheeses garnered seven medals — three silver and four bronze — in that prestigious international contest.
The World Cheese Awards 2018 have once again recognized the high quality of Reny Picot products, solidifying them among the Spanish cheese companies with great international recognition.
A silver medal goes to Reny Picot’s Señorío de Montelarreina Gran Duque de Alba, one of Old Europe’s biggest award-winners on the international stage. That exceptional cheese results from the combination of high quality products affording it a unique and delightful aroma.
Another of their most celebrated cheeses, Reny Picot Queso Azul (Blue Cheese), also won a silver medal for the second year running at the World Cheese Awards. With its unique, intense flavor and smooth texture, that cheese is a perennial favorite with judges and consumers alike.
Their third silver winner was their Camembert Traditionnel. As on so many occasions, that product’s fruity flavor and smooth, creamy texture again won over the judges.
Reny Picot’s Montelarreina Curado won a bronze medal. Made with a mix of cow, goat and sheep’s milk, that product’s original flavor, aroma and unmistakable texture ensure it is highly appreciated among both cheese experts and consumers, as well.
Three more bronze medals were earned by three Brie cheeses produced at Old Europe Cheese. They include their Brie Triple Cream, Pepper Brie, and Fine Herb Brie. Those excellent cheeses achieve a perfect balance between the traditional flavor of Brie and their distinctive seasonings.
Once again, the team at Old Europe Cheese finds itself justifiably proud of their achievements, with Francois saying just before he retired, “We are enormously grateful for this recognition of our hard work and dedication in offering products of the very highest quality.”
