[[File:Territoire AOC Comté.svg|thumb|right|Area in eastern France, centered on Franche-Comté, covered by the AOC designation]]
Comté is well known for its distinct [[terroir]]: it is made in 160 village-based [[:fr:Fruitière|fruitières]] (cheese-making facilities) in the region, owned by farmers who bring their own milk from their own cows; strict production rules linking place and product; and the seasonal environmental effects. Comté cheeses go through the process of "jury terroir", where panels of trained volunteer tasters from Comté supply chain and from the region discuss and publish bi-monthly in the newsletter Les Nouvelles de Comté about the taste and their results. This jury terroir was created by Florence Bérodier, a food scientist, to elaborate in response to a set of formidable challenges that Comté cheese underwent in the beginning for its unfamiliar taste and smell. "The jury terroir is there to speak of all the richness in the tastes of a Comté…" – the original member confirmed. For Comté cheese to be world-renowned, the quality improved, but the challenge stand still to create a uniform taste, which was impossible to achieve since there were 160 different fruitières specializing. But through the process of jury terroir, people came to focus on communication among the tasters, which improved their ability to perceive and gained in value. They acquired a general culture that enabled them to describe and exchange the taste of Comtés.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shields-Argelés |first1=Christy |chapter=The Comté Aroma Wheel: History of an Invention, Ethnography of a Practice, A Look at the Early Years |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/28997802 |title=Food & Communication |year=2016 |pages=363–72 }}</ref>
