Jean-François Marmier aka Tas

Jean-François Marmier aka Tas was born in Bouverans where he currently works and lives with his family. Tas works with his brother and a third farmer on the family farm in Bouverans (Massif du Jura) where they produce milk for Comté cheese. The farm has been in the Marmier family for over a 100 years. He joined his brother on the farm when their father retired in 1998.

Tas describes himself as a farmer and Comté producer. The milk produced on the farm is primarily used for Comté (some for Mont d’Or in the winter). The  milk goes to their local fruitière where is it blended with milk from other near-by farms and transformed into cheese. After several months in the cellars of an affinage house, the cheese becomes Comté.

Before he joined the farm, Tas worked in agriculture, hospitality and tourism abroad and in France for about 10 years. Among his experiences in France, he worked as assistant-cheesemaker in a Comté fruitière and sorter in the cellars of a well-known local affineur. Abroad, he worked on a farm in Tasmania — where he gained his nickname —, surveyed cheese production in the UK, and travelled to Turkey on cheese-related projects.

Tas has been a strong advocate for Comté and for traditional farming and cheesemaking. Because of his infectious passion and excellent command of English, his presence has been sought after at the Salon de l’agriculture in Paris as well as other cheese events in France and abroad for many years.

When he is not on the farm, Tas is a dedicated educator teaching English at the local elementary school. Another passion of his is riding motorcycles.