L’Hercule de Charlevoix

Laiterie Charlevoix

L’Hercule de Charlevoix

Type

Firm pressed, cooked paste; washed rind

Milk

Thermalized cow milk

Region

Charlevoix

Maker

Laiterie Charlevoix

Fat %

34

Moisture %

35

Format

12 kg

Age

12 ‒ 24 months

  • Cow
  • Thermalized

L’Hercule de Charlevoix is an artisan cheese with a rosy copper coloured rind and a smooth, firm, supple pate that becomes slightly crumbly with age. Marked buttery aroma with a hint of dairy. Complex flavours of nuts, butter and grain, with a fruity end note.

The name of this cheese refers to the nickname given to Baie-Saint-Paul native Jean-Baptiste Grenon ‒ l’Hercule du Nord or Hercules of the North. According to legend, in 1759 he was made prisoner by Wolfe’s troops but was quickly released because of his mythical strength that no man could master.

Launched by the Labbé family in 2007, L’Hercule de Charlevoix is produced with milk from a herd of 30 Jerseys on la Ferme Stessi, in close proximity to the cheesemaking facility.

Cheesemaker

Established in 1948 by the Labbé family, back in the day Laiterie Charlevoix bottled and delivered milk in the village of Baie Saint-Paul. By the 60s, it distributed milk as far as Baie-Comeau, and also transformed it into cream, butter and cheddar. It met with great success until the 70s when industrial-sized dairies began to emerge, an era when artisan and regional dairies and creameries were quickly vanishing. In the 80s, Baie-Saint-Paul’s dairy abandoned its milk-bottling activities to concentrate on cheesemaking.  

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