A Grenville business has prevented milk from going down the drain — but more than that: this cheese-making business helped keep food on the table for local families.

Fromage et Cie, located on rue Maple/Route 344, is known for serving a variety of poutine dishes containing cheddar cheese curds made on-location.  An assortment of cheeses is also sold at the restaurant.

Owner Nathalie Malo recently accepted a quantity of milk that would otherwise have been dumped as a result of reduced demand and processing adjustments as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.

Malo made the request for the surplus milk.  She has used it to make 2,200 blocks of craft cheddar cheese for donation to food banks across the MRC d’Argenteuil which are part of the larger regional Moisson Laurentides food bank organization.

“For a small processing plant like Fromage et Cie, the work is huge, but rewarding!” said Malo.

She noted that being able to produce cheese to assist local food banks gave her a sense of purpose following the challenging first month of the COVID-19 emergency.

Malo said her restaurant and shop was closed for three weeks, before reopening on April 9 from Thursday to Sunday for takeout and delivery service only, in compliance with Québec government public health measures.

With the return to normal business and life still uncertain, Malo said she is not sure how business will be in months ahead.  She noted that she depends heavily on tourist traffic passing through Grenville in the summer months, and the ongoing emergency could affect how much of that traffic there is in the season ahead.

“We don’t know what’s going to come,” said Malo.

Normally, 16 people work at the business, but Malo has had to reduce that to four to five.   She said that while business at the restaurant counter is down, deliveries have increased.

And now, to the important part. To order cheese, contact Fromagerie et Cie, located at 29 rue Maple Street in Grenville, here: 450-566-4120. The company posts available products and delivery times on its Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/fromageetcie/