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Media KitWhy Belle ChevreFor almost 20 years Belle Chevre has been hand-crafting fine French style goat’s milk cheeses in rural Alabama. A woman with a grand appetite for Chevre (the French word for goat and pronounced ‘shev) founded Belle Chevre and developed a winning recipe that has, to date, garnered over 50 national awards from American Cheese Society and other famed institutions. Belle Chevre’s delicious recipe landed Belle Chevre cheeses in some of the finest cheese retailers in the country including The Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills and Dean & Deluca in New York City where a wayward Alabamian, Tasia Malakasis, discovered this product from her home about which she did not yet know. Tasia, ever passionate about food, fell in love with the product, and came back to Alabama to learn the art of cheesemaking and finally persuaded the owner emeritus to let her be the next generation of Belle Chevre. “I could not be more excited to highlight a great product that is not only from Alabama but is OF Alabama”, says Malakasis. The uniquely mild but distinctive flavor of our cheeses is directly related to the terrain on which the goats are raised and the cheese is created. Limestone County, Alabama is a big part of what is special about Belle Chevre. The French use a term, terroir, to speak mostly about why wine is so special from a certain region – the soil, the climate, the chemical and alchemical sense of place – and it is the same with Belle Chevre’s cheeses. No other cheese can taste as good! Steven Jenkins, one of the world’s foremost authorities on cheeses of the world says “Alabama's FBC cheeses and fromage blanc taste as fine as the best of the Loire Valley, Perigord and Provence, and that's a mouthful." All of our cheeses are hand-made and hand-packed with great care and dedication to the craft – and we believe that that makes all the difference in the world. We hope that you too will become infected with the passion with which this cheese is made and experience, as Tasia and so many others have, love at first bite! Belle Chevre AwardsWe’re proud of our cheese. One look at the long list of kudos we’ve received and you’ll see why.
Belle Chevre in the News
Belle Chevre Press ReleasesBelle Chevre named 2010 sofi ™ Silver Finalist for Outstanding Dairy Product By the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Elkmont, Alabama (April 26, 2010) – Belle Chevre’s Belle and the Bees Breakfast Cheese has been selected as a Silver Finalist for Cheese and Dairy Product in the 2010 sofi™ Awards from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. The sofi Awards recognize excellence in specialty foods and beverages and are a coveted industry honor. “sofi” stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation. Belle and the Bees Breakfast Cheese was one of 125 Silver Finalists selected by a national panel of specialty food experts from 1,570 contenders across 31 Awards categories. Gold Winners will be announced in a red-carpet ceremony June 28 at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York. “We are absolutely thrilled that the creative efforts from our small southern creamery are being recognized by such a distinguished organization,” said Tasia Malakasis, owner of Belle Chevre. “I want Belle and the Bees Breakfast Cheese to change the way people look at breakfast.” Malakasis, a former marketing exec, fell in love with the product and came back to Alabama to learn the art of cheesemaking and persuade the owner emeritus to let her be the next generation of Belle Chevre. Her products include fresh and marinated goat cheese, and are available at grocery stores everywhere and at www.bellechevre.com. The sofi Awards are open to members of the NASFT, a not-for-profit trade association established in 1952 with more than 2,900 members throughout the U.S. and abroad. For more information on the NASFT and its Fancy Food Shows, go to www.specialtyfood.com “The field was very competitive, with entries up 12 percent from 2009. The finalists represent the breadth and quality of our members’ distinctive products,” said Ann Daw, president of the NASFT. “It is clear that our industry is moving forward with innovation, inspiration and creativity.” Contact: NASFT Media Contacts: About Belle ChèvreBelle Chèvre has produced a variety of internationally acclaimed chevres since 1989 using time-tested European farmstead techniques. The company is purposefully small, and each chevre is hand made by its passionate cheese makers. The result is an artisan cheese with a mild and distinct taste and texture that reflects the care with which it was made. Belle Chèvre cheeses have received numerous national awards from the American Cheese Society and the American Dairy Goat Association, and has been featured in many top culinary books and magazines. Declared "American Treasure" by the internationally known authority on cheese, Steven Jenkins, and acclaimed by chefs and cheese lovers the world over, Belle Chèvre is available at upscale retailers including Dean and Deluca and the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills as well as larger outlets like Whole Foods Market. About Tasia MalakasisTasia Malakasis is owner and president of Belle Chevre, an award-winning cheese producer located in Elkmont, Alabama. Malakasis provides the strategic vision, leadership, and creativity required to ensure the 20-year-old company continues to evolve as one of the country’s most acclaimed artisan creameries. Malakasis, who built a successful career in high-tech marketing software,
traveled a winding road prior to becoming a cheesemaker. Before acquiring Belle
Chevre, Malakasis served as vice president of global product management and
marketing for high-tech software startup PointRoll, where she was responsible
for developing new products and marketing them globally. Although making goat cheese may seem worlds away from the fast-paced life of marketing high-tech software, the similarity is in Malakasis’ passion for what she does. Belle Chevre embodies her love of handcrafted, artisan food and the Southern region where it is produced. Since taking the lead at Belle Chevre in 2007, Malakasis has developed several new product lines and revamped the brand with a new graphic identity and marketing program. Malakasis is a member of The American Cheese Society, The American Dairy Goat Association, Southern Foodways Alliance and Slow Food International. She is a Cum Laude graduate of The University of Alabama, Huntsville where she
received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Contact: Tasia Malakasis, President, Fromagerie Belle Chèvre, at 256.423.2238 or via email at tmalakasis@bellechevre.com PhotosSome high resolution photos available for download: http://picasaweb.google.com/tmalakasis/BelleChevrePhotos#5296777770861972290 http://picasaweb.google.com/tmalakasis/BelleChevrePhotos#5296777803583465394 http://picasaweb.google.com/tmalakasis/BelleChevrePhotos#5296778648435258082 http://picasaweb.google.com/tmalakasis/BelleChevreWebsite#5385416525319622930 Contact UsFromagerie Belle Chèvre 26910 Bethel Road Elkmont, Alabama 35620 phone: 256-423-2238 order toll free: 1-800-735-2238 |
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Fromagerie Belle Chèvre, Elkmont, AL 1.800.735.2238 We make your cheese! Online Store |
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