How long can we keep our pressed sheep's milk cheeses (Ossau Iraty, tommettes, portions...)?
You can easily store your sheep's cheese for 1 month cut and up to 2 or 3 months whole, in a cool room, or in the refrigerator.
How to store our AGOUR cheeses?
The conservation of Basque cheeses is not the same for all types of cheeses. The least fragile cheeses are pressed cheeses (such as our Ossau-Iraty or Tommettes). On the other hand, the conservation of soft cheeses will be more problematic because they will have a shorter shelf life.
What to do if a surface bloom/mould appears on the cheese?
It is important to remember that cheese is a living product, a living artisanal product! During the ripening process, mushrooms form all around the cheese. Under the regular care and love of the master cheesemaker, who rubs and turns his cheeses daily, a beautiful uniform rind will appear. Depending on the season and the storage conditions of the cheeses, a surface bloom may "grow back". No problem! This is absolutely not dangerous for your health and it does not change the taste of the cheese. It is even a good sign; it proves that your product is natural. And at Agour all our cheeses are natural rinds, without colouring or preservatives. To remove this layer, simply rub the slice of your cheese to remove the unwanted film that has just developed. All you have to do is enjoy it!
Cost of shipping / Amount too high to benefit from free shipping.
We have chosen to be uncompromising on the quality of the delivery (a quality that matches the products). This is to ensure that the products arrive in perfect condition at your home. We ship your products with 3 carriers: DPD, TNT or Chronopost Fresh.
Delivery with DPD can be done in a relay point for 5,90 € (with an option of 3 € to have a cool box to keep your products cool; this option is precluded in summer because of the heat we can experience). This carrier can also deliver to your home for a fee of €8.90.
Delivery with TNT will only be made to your home for €8.90 (with an option of €3 for a cool box to keep your products cool; this option is not available in the summer due to the heat we can experience).
Delivery by Chronopost Fresh is by refrigerated lorry to your home only and costs €14.90. Chronopost Fresh is the most premium delivery service on the market. Indeed, the transport of fresh products is delicate and therefore expensive.
For our customers living abroad and outside Spain, the shipping costs will be €9.90 by the DPD carrier (with an option of €3 to have a cool box to keep your products cool; this option is precluded in summer because of the heat we can experience).
For our customers in Spain, the shipping cost will be 7,90 € by the DPD carrier (with an option of 3 € to have a cool box to keep your products cool; this option is not available in summer because of the heat we can experience).
For your order we only ask for a contribution which is about 50% of the delivery cost (we pay for example up to 25€ to Chronopost food for delivery costs).
Delivery costs are free for orders over 120€ when delivered by DPD or TNT. If you decide to choose delivery by Chronopost Fresh, the delivery costs will be reduced to €5.90
We therefore advise you to either get together with your friends, neighbours, family... to reach the amount of the free delivery costs, or to pay the contribution to the delivery costs, or to contact directly our retailers (cheese shops, supermarkets...) near you.
Cheese and ham prices
By buying directly from the producer you are guaranteed to pay the right price, corresponding to the value of the product. We offer you a wide range of products, within the market prices and consistent with the high quality of our products.
The fair price is our way of identifying the fairest price for everyone: the milk producer, our company, which makes the products with love and prepares your order with care, and finally you, our customers, because our ambition is to make our cheeses and charcuterie accessible to everyone, with the best value for money!
Naturally, if you buy small quantities of cheese you will not be able to afford the shipping costs. In this case, we advise you to contact a retailer near you or to place a group order in order to reach the 120€ and not to pay the shipping costs.
What are the delivery methods/prices?
There are 5 delivery methods when you place an order on our website:
Home delivery by TNT or DPD: 8€90
Point Relais via DPD: 5€90
Home delivery by Chronopost fresh: 14€90 (refrigerated truck)
Outside metropolitan France, Corsica and Spain, home delivery by DPD: 9€90
Spain, home delivery by DPD: 7€90
What does the Ossau-Iraty PDO guarantee?
The PDO guarantees the consumer that all the stages of production of the ewe's milk cheese take place in the geographical area defined by the designation, in accordance with traditional and ancestral methods, from the production of the ewe's milk to the maturing of the ewe's milk cheese.
The Ossau-Iraty PDO guarantees ewe's milk cheeses made according to a very precise traditional recipe of uncooked pressed paste, made from the milk of ewes from the 3 local breeds (Manex tête noire, Manex tête rousse, Baso-Béarnaise). The ewes are fed with pasture, local fodder and cereals, without GMOs. Silage is forbidden during milking.
To ensure the animal's well-being, milking is seasonal between December and August, so that the ewes can rest the rest of the time and devote themselves to their lambs.
Where does the milk used to make our Ossau Iraty cheeses come from?
The production of Ossau-Iraty PDO sheep's cheese is a seasonal activity: the ewe flocks produce milk daily only for 8 months of the year, from December to August. The rest of the time, the ewes rest and devote themselves to their lambs. We collect milk from nearly 150 farmers in the Iraty, Saint-Pée-Sur-Nivelle, Sare, Cambo-les-Bains, Hasparren, Hélette valleys... A farmhouse raw milk production chain has been developed (40 producers). Since 2008, we have been involved in raising awareness among farmers about the development of organic farming.
Where are our cheeses made? What are the stages of cheese making?
Maison AGOUR produces and markets a menu of more than 40 Basque cheeses: PDO Ossau-Iraty sheep's cheese, raw milk sheep's cheese, organic sheep's cheese, cow's cheese, goat's cheese, etc. in different formats. These Basque cheeses are produced and matured in the Basque Country in the cheese dairies of Hélette and Irati.
Agour collects the milk daily from the producers from 7pm to 5am. Many stages follow before they arrive on your table 4 to 18 months later.
Quel est le fromage emblématique du Pays Basque ?
Le fromage emblématique du Pays Basque est l'Ossau-Iraty AOP, un fromage élaboré exclusivement à partir de lait de brebis. Il est reconnu pour sa pâte souple, ses arômes délicats et son lien étroit avec les traditions pastorales des Pyrénées.
Comment déguster un fromage de brebis du Pays Basque ?
Le fromage de brebis se déguste idéalement à température ambiante afin de révéler toute sa richesse aromatique. Il accompagne parfaitement un pain de campagne, une confiture de cerises noires, des fruits secs ou encore un vin blanc sec ou un vin rouge léger du Sud-Ouest.
Où sont fabriqués les fromages de la Maison Agour Etxea ?
Les Ossau-Iraty AOP de la Maison Agour Etxea sont fabriqués dans notre fromagerie historique d'Hélette, au cœur du Pays Basque, où nous perpétuons un savoir-faire fromager transmis depuis plusieurs générations. Nos pâtes molles et nos fromages aromatiques, élaborés en plus petites quantités, sont quant à eux produits dans notre fruitière innovatrice d'Irati. Chaque création reflète l'attachement de la Maison Agour Etxea à son terroir, à l'innovation et à l'excellence des fromages basques.
Quelle est la différence entre un fromage de brebis et un Ossau-Iraty AOP ?
Merchant's answer
