He leaves everything for cheese and is a hit in Marseille
Rue Breteuil, Corniche Kennedy, Endoume or République: in Marseille, it's impossible to miss the lemon-yellow facades that have become La Meulerie's signature.
For a long time, Driss Azzoug thought that cheese wasn't for him. With a background in catering, service and retail, he never imagined he'd be able to make a career out of it. "I felt I didn't have the right background, or the right town, to make it happen. I thought you had to be a cheese maker from father to son. "However, in 2021, he took the plunge.
An internship and everything changes
The turning point came during an internship at the Rouet cheese dairy in Brissac-Quincé (49). In just one week, Driss found his place on the team. The confirmation he had been waiting for: he signed up for the Fédération du fromage training course.
Yellow, blue and cheese: La Meulerie is born
In October 2021, the first Meulerie opened its doors at 9 Grand Rue, in Marseille's first arrondissement. Driss conceived the project with his partner Arthur Barret, a business school graduate who was immediately enthusiastic about the idea. Together, they imagined a cheese shop that would be like them: solar. " When I told him about it, he immediately thought of the colors yellow and blue, which represent the energy of Marseille, the sun, the sea and my universe. We wanted to shake up the world of cheese a bit, make it more accessible so that everyone would feel at ease. "
Buoyed by this initial success, the two entrepreneurs have no intention of stopping there: "When we launched La Meulerie, we marketed it as if we were going to open several. We were already hoping that others would follow. "The future proved them right, as barely a year later, a space became available on the Corniche, not far from Anse de Malmousque.
The grilled cheese that changed everything
This particular location, close to the beach, encouraged them to offer a new range of sandwiches to take away, in addition to a wide selection of cheeses. Among the recipes to be discovered was the grilled cheese - renamed Tupac - by chef Ludovic Turac, a loyal customer of the store and now a close friend.
The couple were expecting to sell around twenty sandwiches a day. The success exceeded their expectations: very quickly, sandwiches accounted for 70-80% of sales and became a must in Malmousque. To keep pace, a dedicated corner was set up in the original République store.
Projects quickly followed, with two new addresses in Davso and in the Endoume district, several collaborations with American Vintage, Nike and the Bao Family, and more recently, an ephemeral raclette restaurant on the Port's terraces...
Four addresses and counting
The next objective is to develop the franchise, and even export internationally. More specifically, London, to which this unconditional Spice Girls fan is deeply attached. " It wouldn't hurt to bring back some good cheese," he jokes. by the way, if you drop in at La Meulerie, you might just come across one of the items referencing the famous girl band, among the creamy cheeses, AOP cheeses and local specialities.
Because yes, La Meulerie isn't just a pop-colored cheese shop, but first and foremost the adventure of two enthusiasts for whom " life's too short to eat bad cheese".
