After more than 20 years in France, Moroccan Abderrahim Iaich has decided to return to his homeland to make his people discover and enjoy cheese. Portrait. Abderrahim Iaich, 45 years-old man, «Moroccan before French», as he likes to describe himself, has left the Haute-Savoie region three years ago for his home country, with an ambitious and uncharted project in mind : creating a dairy store specialized in transformation. Despite the struggles, he has not dropped his ambitions. «Nowadays, I work in cheese and dairy distribution in a concept store that has just opened in Casablanca, the Bo Marché. I sell cheese just like dairymen in France», explained Abderrahim Iaich to Yabiladi. He sells a range of cheeses, French and Moroccan cheeses of course but also Spanish, Swiss and Italian. «We import them through a middleman. We wish to produce them ourselves. The idea basically is to develop an inclusive system of distribution and importation of cheese here in Morocco. This is the project I am working on with two friends», he adds. «I checked the correct box» At the beginning, there was no hint that this dairyman from Taroudant would get into this sector. Moreover, he got into it just by chance. After his father passed away, he settled down at his uncle's in Mohammedia and graduated with a baccalaureate in agronomic studies. In 1993, at 21 years of age, he sets for France towards La Roche-sur-Foron in Haute Savoie, where he studies at the Ecole nationale des industries du lait et des viandes (National school of dairy and meat industries). «As a matter of fact, I had filled an application to get a scholarship in France. I checked the «cheese dairy» box completely by chance, like in a lottery!», Abderrahim recalls. Twenty-five years later, this farmer's son understands he made the right choice: «It has become my trade and my passion». Since then, he was awarded the Reblochon d'or at the General agricultural competition in Paris (Concours général agricole de Paris) in 2008 during the Salon de l'agriculture (Agricultural show), he was also featured in a documentary on French TV channel Canal+ on «foreigners who managed to top the manufacturers of typical French goodies» according to Le Dauphiné Libéré and has also become a member of the «gardes et jurés» (guardians and members of the jury) of the Confrérie des fromagers (Cheesemakers' brotherhood) which has more than 5,000 members originating from 33 countries. Since 1997 and for more than ten years, after having worked for Swiss cheese makers, he has been a producer of reblochons for the Gaec of the Pré Jourdan in Saint-Laurent, a small town in the Savoie region. Nowadays, back in Morocco, he has new projects in mind : «The idea is to share my know-how with my fellow countrymen and make them love cheese, knowing that they are world's biggest consumers of the Laughing cow cheese», says the cheese monger in an amused way. «It might be a crazy ambition, but I don't like easy things», he maintains. Abderrahim Iaich wishes to import all sort of European cheeses and open a distribution network in the Kingdom. He even considers getting involved with schools as well and «explain where these products come from, from milk to cheese, then from cheese to the consumer», or even during privately held «cheese and tea» receptions, or «cheese and wine».
