The territory
of origin

Roquefort galaxy: the milk collection area

The milky way of Roquefort extends from the steppe of Larzac to the meadows of Ségala, from the edge of Margeride to the woods of the Montagne Noire (Black Mountain), from the moors of Causse Comtal to the wine-colored hills of Rougier, from the Cévennes fringes to the outskirts of the Albi region. A myriad of evening stars twinkle there. This is the traditional area for collecting sheep’s milk for cheese making.
As if the landslide of the Combalou had given birth to a new galaxy, spreading a whitish trail within a radius of a hundred kilometers. This milky halo encompasses the heart of Aveyron, overflows into Lozère and Tarn, encroaches on Aude, Hérault and Gard, all being departments of Occitanie region. Its border draws a pastoral land like no other.

Observe through the telescope : a formidable mosaic of landscapes is revealed at the slightest of your movements. From wild canyon to glowing plain, from arid moor to prosperous bocage, from volcanic massif to rural valley, dominated by the majesty of the Grands Causses, this sumptuous region never ceases to amaze with the range of its reliefs and its vegetation.

This is the domain of the Lacaune sheep. Sheep farming has left its mark here. The drailles, pastoral paths, the lavognes, paved troughs, the jasses, sandstone and slate sheepfolds, dot the landscape. Grazing has shaped the moors and dry grasslands, giving the Grands Causses their exceptional character. It remains the guarantee of maintaining open environments, havens of biodiversity.

A local production, a living area

PDO : protected designation of origin. European quality label, PDO Roquefort, is much more than a shield against counterfeiting : an antidote to relocations, a brake on rural desertification. On its mid-mountain territory at the southern tip of the Central Massif, it ensures the activity of 3,000 sheep breeders and 2,000 people employed by the seven manufacturers of Roquefort. The radius of Roquefort is a territory punctuated of life!

3^rd
DPO

french chesse-making
in terms of volume

The third-largest French PDO cheese in terms of volume, Roquefort fuels the transport sector and contributes to the vitality of local trade, firstly dairies. Its influence also reflects on tourism in southern Aveyron: the guided tour of the cellars is a “must”, so much so that the territory labeled Grand Site Occitanie is inevitably called “Millau Roquefort Sylvanès”.

The PDO Roquefort harmoniously shares its life with its territory, which defends food health, the richness of taste, local production. It promotes the maintenance of small farmer structures, strictly prohibits GMOs and develops organic production.

Slice of history

Slide 1

A legend forged in the 19th century has it that Roquefort was born by chance, from the distraction of a young shepherd. Amusing tale that hides an even more beautiful reality: the king of cheeses results from an obstinacy of history, on the arid plateau of Larzac.
Neolithic tribes were the pioneers of livestock farming in the land of the Grands Causses. From this period, shards of cheese strainer have even been found.

Slide 2

In the Middle Ages, the Cistercian monks (1098), then the Templars (1120) and the Hospitaliers (1312) organized the agro-pastoral landscape. Barns, farms and aristocratic farms are built on the causse. The Templars cultivate the arable land and reserve the meadows for grazing. They build the jasses (sheepfolds), develop the lavognes (troughs) and the courses. They favor sheep farming, making the sheep an emblem of the local economy.

Slide 3

Roquefort has accelerated the modernization of southern Aveyron! In 1902, Henri Michel, pioneer of hydroelectricity in the department, built a dam on the Sorgues river and a factory in Versols-et-Lapeyre, to supply the cold rooms and compressors that he offered to the Caves. From then on, the electrification of the town of Saint-Affrique and the town of Camarès followed a few years later.

The General Confederation of Roquefort

the house of breeders and
cheese makers since 1930

Discover

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Tasting
tours

Plan a gourmet getaway on
the Roquefort terroir. Go further !

The magic of ripening cellars

Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in Aveyron, a unique and preserved place.

The territory
of origin

Roquefort galaxy: the milk collection area

A local production, a living area

3^rd
DPO