Crème de la crème: Why French dairy artisans Candia deserve a space in your pantry this holiday season

The holiday season is upon us once again – and with it, the customary gush of gastronomic merriment that goes so well with convivial celebrations. Even as the aspiring home chef in you compels you to dust off your baking tray and reach for your nan’s trusty recipe book, take a breath and remember: every ingredient has a part to play in a dish, whether that be a hearty Christmas stew or Yule log. It would not do to fork out a pretty penny for a magnificent prime rib, only to be let down by a substandard, watery gravy.

To that end, consider Candia Professional for all your dairy needs. The 51-year-old brand hails from France, where dairy farming has long thrived thanks to its temperate climate, abundance of fertile, grassy plains and passionate stewards – smallholder family farms spread across the French countryside, passing cattle-raising knowhow from generation to generation over the past 3,000 years.

It is these 12,541 family-sized farms that make up France’s largest dairy cooperative, Sodiaal, the parent company of Candia Professional. Commitment to the farmers is the secret to Candia’s excellent dairy products like butter and cream – the two ingredients that anchor French gastronomy, often considered as one of the most respected cuisines in the world.

Every single drop of the 4.71 billion litres of milk churned out by the farms every year can be traced precisely across 69 “checkpoints”, from cow to bottling and processing plant, and consumer. Outlining the milk’s journey ensures that product quality can be accounted for and maintained every step of the way.

It also means that farms, audited every three years, are held accountable to the highest farming standards, whether that be in the safeguarding of animal welfare or adherence to environmentally friendly farming practices.

In other words, a Christmas treat that is about as guilt-free as it gets, with an assurance of quality to boot.

For more information, visit candiaprofessional.com/en.