The apart Camembert

90 years of know-how

Established in the Cotentin region since 1931, the Normandy cheese dairy processes 23 million liters / 6 million gal of milk. This milk, rich in flavors from the Normandy terroir, is transformed into AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie, fresh creams, churn butters and fresh cheeses.

Discover Reo French official website

“Aromatic power, generous texture, fine fluffy rind, tailor-made ripening from young to well-matured… These are the qualifying adjectives symbolizing the Réo AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie.”

David AubreeGeneral Manager

1931

Year of creation

20 000

Camemberts produced each day

Production site

4 AOP/ PDO

Camembert de Normandie, Neufchâtel, Livarot, Pont-l’Évêque

One of the last french producers of hand ladle-molded raw milk AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie

REO AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie represents 15% of the Camembert market share in France

35 medals including 15 for the REO AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie

awarded by the Paris Concours General Agricole

50 dairy producers

85 employees

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The dairy history

In 1920, a young Norman cheese manufacturing manager, Théodore Réaux, decided to create its Val d’Ay cheese dairy with his brother Albert. He settled in Lessay in the Manche department in 1931, at the heart of the Cotentin dairy area where he produced the famous REO Camembert. His cheese won its first gold medal at the Paris Concours Général Agricole the following year. Legend says that Théodore was promoting his cheese everywhere he moved and always had a Camembert in his pocket.

Paulette Réaux Grousset and her husband took over the dairy after the death of Mr. Réaux in 1952. To keep developing the cheese dairy, Theodore’s descendants also called on the Gillot family.
This was followed in 1983 by the creation of a cream and fresh cheese workshop, still respecting the tradition and modern processes of REO production.
In 2016, Maîtres Laitiers du Cotentin cooperative bought the dairy, and insisted to preserve the traditional REO identity and its unique know-how.
REO cheese dairy is nowadays well-known export-wise for its AOP cheeses and its churn butters (7 flavors to discover!).

REO AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie

AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie is a soft cheese with a fluffy rind. It is made with raw milk, mainly from Normandy cows, which graze at least 6 months a year. The ripening period of the Camembert can vary between 3 and 12 weeks. Fully matured, its paste is smooth and supple, from ivory to a light yellow color. Semi-ripened, the paste is 2-3 mm chalky in the center.

REO AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie differs from the others Camemberts in many ways:

The milk exclusively comes from Normandy cows raised between sea and bocage, bringing unique gustatory qualities.
It is hand ladle-molded, in the respect of ancestral traditions.
It has an aromatic power and a generous texture.
Taylor-made ripening according to clients’ taste.
Constantly controled, it benefits from impeccable quality monitoring.
The Réo camembert is a recognized product, anchored in the French culture and several times awarded by the Paris Concours Général Agricole.

Strong values for a sustainable commitment

REO is committed to defending yesterday traditions and current challenges. Raw milk know-how and human gesture valorization through the upholding of hand ladle-molding, an ancestral manufacturing method, are good illustrations.
REO cheese dairy is contributing to the development of a sustainable and eco-responsible dairy industry. The dairy supports its 50 milk producers on a daily basis and makes animal welfare one of its priorities, both to ensure quality of the milk and to respect animal conditions. This willpower continues up to the waste reduction, in particular by using recyclable and biodegradable packagings.
In addition, REO promotes proximity with its suppliers to maintain local jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The company is also committed to social equity. Réo obtained a score of 79/100 on the gender equality index in 2019.

Did you know?

Do you know why CAMEMBERT DE NORMANDIE is one of the most famous French cheeses abroad?
With the milk shortages during the First World War, French government decided to replace the traditional emmental portions (cheese orignally used for its robustness during transport and its good conservation) intended to feed the soldiers with Camembert (cheese which requires less milk for production and protected by a wooden box). After the war, soldiers who survived remembered this cheese which comforted them in the horror of the trenches. Camembert conquered France and hearts of foreign allies.

Do you know how to make a difference?

“Camembert de Normandie” designates a camembert whose milk and manufacturing site are within the AOP/ PDO zone. Hence, AOP/ PDO Camembert de Normandie are the REAL camembert!
The so-called Camembert “made in Normandy” are, as the name suggests, made in the Normandy region. However, their milk can come from anywhere.
Finally, just the word “camembert”, when not being protected, can be used by manufacturers around the world to designate any cheeses.

The PONT-L’EVÊQUE was created in the 12th century by Cistercian monks. This soft washed rind cheese, known as a cherub under « angelot » name, was used as a bartering system for remuneration and tax. It took its final name in the 17th century, inspired by a small Norman village located between Lisieux and Deauville towns, where one of the most important markets in the region was then held. At that time, Pont-l’Evêque cheese can be found under different shapes, according to the ceramic containers used to mold it. In the 18th century, the reputation of Pont-l’Évêque go over the French borders. It became square to stand out from the Livarot. He became AOP/ PDO certified in 1996.

LIVAROT is a soft, washed rind cheese, AOP/ PDO since 1996. It is probably one of the oldest cheeses in Normandy. Its name comes from the town of Livarot located in the Calvados department, in the heart of the Pays d’Auge. Its cylindrical shape is hooped by 3 to 5 rushes strips made from natural reeds.
Livarot is known as “The Colonel” because of the five strips around it, like the number of stripes of the Colonel rank. Historically, the sedge strips prevented the cheese from collapsing during the maturation, which could last up to 6 months at the time. These layers are now purely decorative and characteristic of this cheese.

AOP/ PDO since 1969, NEUFCHÂTEL comes from the small Norman town of Neufchâtel-en-Bray in the Seine-Maritime department. Its typical heart shape dates back to the Hundred Years War, when in love Norman ladies were offering cheeses to English soldiers. Apart from the heart shape, the Neufchâtel nowadays exists in 6 different shapes and sizes.