Brie de Melun and the more famous Brie de Meaux, are both produced in the region of northern France known as Ile de France.

However, whereas Brie de Meaux posseses refined flavors and a soft texture, Brie de Melun is smaller in size and tends to be a more robust cheese, often quite salty and with a firmer texture.

The reason for these differences lies in the way each is made. Production of Brie de Meaux is relatively fast (about 30 minutes) because the milk is coagulated with the addition of rennet. On the other hand, Brie de Melun is made using lactic fermentation, a process whereby milk is allowed to ripen for a period of approximately 18 hours, at which point is has formed a gel-like curd.

Wheels of Brie de Melun are also matured for a minimum of four weeks and often up to seven or eight - considerably longer than Brie de Meaux which is often released after about three weeks.