It all began in 1895 in a small village in the Deux-Sèvres in France... Eighty goat farmers banded together to form a cooperative and founded the Saint-Martin-de-Saint-Maixent dairy. At the foot of the town, there is a stream called the “Soignon”. That’s what the brand’s the first cheese factory was named after!
Very early on, Soignon maintained its preference for goat milk. In 1932, it decided to concentrate solely on the production of goat cheeses. It was the first in the region!
Goat cheese – in its much-loved log shape – made a splash when it hit supermarket cheese counters! Logs then made a place for themselves on our tables, much to the enjoyment of all goat cheese lovers.
The Soignon dairies first produced the Sainte-Maure log in 1986. It weighs exactly 200 grams, or about 7 ounces. Our goat cheese log has not aged a bit in 30 years. Its recipe and appearance have remained the same since that very day!
The cheese factory turned 100 years old. To mark the occasion, our mascot at the time (a wolf) appeared on French television, clearly enticed by our tasty products. The first advertising slogan seen on French TV screens was: “Soignon, all their goat cheeses are good!”
Soignon got a new look at the dawn of the new millennium! We gave our packaging a more modern look and our famous brown goat and the red ribbon (with the Soignon brand name) were added to all our products.
We made our own version of one of his most famous songs (“Les Champs Elysées”) to sing the praises of our products. Do you remember it? “Un chèvre Soignon... 🎶 Avec Soignon, c’est toujours l’heure, toujours le bonheur !” [“A Soignon goat 🎶 It’s always the time for Soignon, always a delight!”]
We presented the nutritional virtues of our goat milk products and all their benefits with a catchy new advertising campaign (it rhymes in French): “Let’s take care of what we eat with Soignon goat cheeses!”
The cheese factory turned 100 years old. To mark the occasion, our mascot at the time (a wolf) appeared on French television, clearly enticed by our tasty products. The first advertising slogan seen on French TV screens was: “Soignon, all their goat cheeses are good!
The milk harvested by our farmers could now be enjoyed throughout your meal! We introduced yogurts and “fromage blanc” (creamy cheese similar to yogurt) made from Soignon goat milk. They are so good that it would be foolish to deprive yourself of them!
We are a French cooperative and our goat milk is, of course, French too! In 2010, we decided that all our products would say this on their packaging.
Soignon landed in French kitchens with a range of grated, sliced, and cubed ingredients that help make preparing delicious recipes easier! The pyramid-shaped fresh goat cheese also made its first appearance
Soignon tickles your taste buds with delicious recipes including the chocolate-goat milk cream dessert! What's the best part of all these new products? Delicious goat milk that we take to the next level in all our recipes!
We participated in the famous International Agricultural Show in Paris for the first time. It was a great opportunity for us to meet our customers and introduce them to our farmers and our goats... and of course, give out free samples of our products!
While some TV shows sometimes get our goat, that’s not the case with “L'amour est dans le pré”. This dating reality show featuring French farmers really highlights their work and champions our land and our know-how. That's why we chose to sponsor this program that year!
We wanted a change and so did our goat. So we created a new logo and our mascot is even better-looking than before! At the same time, breaded cheeses and more new products to make your drinks with friends even more delicious hit supermarket shelves!
The goat can still surprise you! We created a new advertising campaign and the goat was our leading lady. She championed our cooperative values and the quality of her milk... Anyone who doesn’t take her seriously better watch out!
On the new site, you will find plenty of nutritional information, tasting tips, and yummy recipe ideas. And some interesting tidbits will make you go(at) wild for our products!
125 years of know-how and good products! To celebrate this birthday, we released a new limited-edition cheese, gave out gifts throughout the year, and, of course, attended the International Agricultural Show in Paris.