Too Much Cheese

Quoted from an article dated March 26, 2021 from The Guardian [1]:

The Cîteaux Abbey, just south of Dijon, birthplace of the Cistercian Catholic order, usually sells its raw-milk, semi-soft discs only to restaurants or visitors to its on-site shop. But a drop in demand since the coronavirus crisis erupted last year has left the abbey’s 19 Trappist monks with 4,000 cheeses too many, a 2.8-tonne problem.

“We tried explaining to our 75 cows that they needed to produce less milk but they don’t seem to have understood,” said brother Jean-Claude, in charge of marketing at the monastery, which was founded in 1098.

“Our sales are down nearly 50%,” he said, with French restaurants still closed since 30 October as authorities try to stifle a third wave of cases. “We need to clear out our stock.”

Quoted from UNILAD [2]:

The Cîteaux Abbey’s cheese is award-winning, emerging with a silver medal at 2020’s international food and drink competition.

Fortunately, it appears business is booming with the latest online appeal. By Tuesday this coming week, March 30, the monastery hoped to have sold more than a tonne of cheese. Incredibly, it has already sold more than two tonnes. ‘We’re going to make it,’ Jean-Claude said.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/mar/26/french-monks-locked-down-tonnes-cheese-pray-buyers-online

[2] https://www.unilad.co.uk/food/monks-trapped-in-lockdown-with-2-8-tonnes-of-cheese-pray-for-buyers/