The quality is in the fields…
Duck liver
✽
Q uality food
Force-feeding
I
n order to optimize the quality of
its duck liver, the Maison Mitteault
makes a point of mastering the
breeding of its ducks from Day
One by feeding them with quality
cereals and whole corn grain.
Carried out in accordance with time-honored tradition,
force-feeding constitutes the essential step in the process of
duck liver manufacture. When fattening its ducks, the Maison
Mitteault only uses whole corn grains. Intent on enhancing
the animals’ well-being, the business has invested in two
new buildings that are in full accordance with European
standards. With their capacity of 1000, they have been
added to the site’s five other force-feeding units, all of which
are fully operational.
The laboratory
All Mitteault products are transformed
in the house’s own laboratory facilities.
Fattened duck liver, breast, confit
preserves, pâtés and other pre-cooked
dishes are prepared in accordance
with traditional recipes and in strict
conformity with sanitary and hygiene
standards.
Waste
management
Protection of the environment is one of
the Maison Mitteault’s major priorities.
That is why they wished to set up a
waste disposal system enabling them
to diminish nuisances such as noxious
odors. Once winnowed out, the solid
parts are recycled as compost while
the liquid parts are spread out on the
cultivated land.
The store
Open to the public from Monday through Saturday
morning, the store offers for sale the whole range of
Mitteault products, a wide variety of homemade farm
specialties manufactured in full respect of authentic
recipes. A food lover’s universe is equally accessible
online at the site: www.maisonmitteault.com
Open-air breeding
The Maison Mitteault has adopted a method of extensive
breeding. Once they are removed from the hatchery, the
ducklings are installed in one of the twenty pens scattered
throughout the breeding site’s 42 acres (17 Ha). For ten
weeks, they grow outdoors. With an overall area of 8000
square meters, each enclosure is equipped with a tunnel
protecting the ducks from the cold and sheltering them from
inclement weather.
The poultry coop
On Day One, the newly hatched ducklings are delivered to the
coops in which areas they are sheltered and attentively bred.
Three buildings welcome up to 2000 tiny web-footed fowl
under ideal conditions; for three weeks, they are maintained
under controlled temperatures and fed in accordance with
their needs.
Feed processing
Traceability, proximity, reactivity; with these three key words
in mind, the Maison Mitteault has opted for its own feed
processing facilities. The fattened ducks’ diet is a mixture
composed of corn, soybeans, wheat, field beans and peas.
Some of the cereals are produced on the site, and the others
are provided by local farmers.
family story
T
he Maison Mitteault saga got underway in the 1970s, at a time when
Rouilly was just another traditional farm revolving around mixed farming and
breeding. In 1975, a Maltese fever epidemic forced Jacqueline and her husband
to slaughter their herd of cattle and turn to other activities. Taking the eminently
sound advice of a friend from the Périgord region, the mother of Hubert, Bernard
and Louis-Marie initiated the force-feeding of geese and ducks. Five, ten, and
then fifty… The bet was won, and the family business propelled to the heights.
One year after another, customer demand has remained strong, even
during times when duck was out of style. By 1988, when Jacqueline
handed the farm over to her sons, the Maison Mitteault was force-feeding
4000 ducks a year. Twenty years later, 70000 web-footed fowl were to be
found in the hands of thirty company employees… Duck liver, pre-cooked
food, terrine, pâtés; these homemade specialties are always handled with
the utmost care for some 12000 customers, prestigious starred tables
included.
Ever since its creation, the company has gone out of its way to
ensure optimal quality in its homemade products; raw materials are
meticulously chosen in strict respect of hygiene norms and food
safety. At each step of the manufacturing process, the product is
given undivided attention.
Innovation has become a trademark of the Mitteault brand. Buttered duck
liver (Apéria), pan-cooked duck liver nuggets, frozen duck liver cutlet…
Every year the Maison Mitteault launches new products noted for their
creativity and savorous originality.
Maison Mitteault
Domaine de Rouilly - 86190 Chalandray - France
Tél 00 33 5 49 6 0 14 09 - Fax 00 33 5 49 60 70 30
[email protected]
w w w. maisonmitteault.com
Photos : ©Jean-Yves Joubert - Alain Montaufier - 2010
An uplifting