It’s not every day the French Ambassador visits Castlemaine! But earlier this month, he made a special trip to Long Paddock Cheese & The Cheese School to award Head Cheesemaker, Ivan Larcher, the Chevalier du Mérite Agricole — the French Order of Agricultural Merit.
His Excellency, the Ambassador of France to Australia, Mr Pierre-André Imbert, presented Ivan with this prestigious medal in recognition of his contribution to sharing French culture, skills and savoir-faire in dairy and cheesemaking — both in Australia and abroad.
Ivan, a humble man, was visibly thrilled. “It is naturally an honour,” said Ivan. “But the achievements made here at Long Paddock and The Cheese School are part of a collaboration between the farmers and our dedicated team of cheesemakers, affineurs and educators.”
A delightful mix of Long Paddock’s farming partners, distributors and retailers, chefs, food & tourism media, together with representatives of the French community in Victoria, the Long Paddock team and many of Ivan’s friends in Australia, gathered at Boomtown Winery to congratulate Ivan and the entire team for their hard work in making beautiful cheeses and helping cheeselovers and professionals across Australia improve their cheesemaking skills.
