Coulommiers - European Score 100/100

European Score analysis

Coulommiers by Bons Mayennais is a soft-ripened cheese produced in Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, France, belonging to the coulommiers category. Its European Score of 100 is the maximum, with 35 points each for company headquarters and French manufacturing in Mayenne, 10 for ingredients with origins declared as France, Pays de la Loire, and Mayenne, 15 for distribution, 5 for proximity, and no certification points. The product carries the green dot and a label stating that the milk is collected in Mayenne, reinforcing the regional sourcing claim. No organic, protected designation, or quality scheme certifications are carried.

At the 54th percentile across 37 products in the coulommiers category, this cheese sits just above the midpoint. For a European-minded shopper, the notable feature of this product is the granularity of its declared origin: not just France, but Pays de la Loire and specifically Mayenne, with the milk collection area also confirmed as Mayenne. This geographical specificity is a meaningful indicator of a tightly localised supply chain, even in the absence of a formal European protected designation. The absence of a PDO or PGI — coulommiers does not currently hold European protected status — means that no independent body verifies the regional identity claim, but the declared and labelled provenance is more precise than many competitors in this category. The middling percentile suggests that certification remains a differentiating factor among coulommiers producers.