**The village where France’s first cheese with an ‘appellation d’origine’ label is produced celebrates its centenary this weekend. But it’s a bittersweet anniversary, as industrial dairy groups now dominate this emblem of French gastronomy and sales have steadily declined for more than a decade.**
Although Roquefort’s existence actually dates back to Antiquity, the cheese celebrates this year the 100^(th) anniversary of its *appellation d’origine*: a French label designating an agricultural product as being produced and processed in a particular region. It was the first for a cheese in France. The law establishing the designation was enacted on July 26, 1925, but the official celebration is set for the weekend of June 7 and 8, when the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France will host events including a sheep parade, culinary creations by Michelin-starred chefs and a drone show.
This is a strange centenary for this jewel of artisanal cheesemaking. Contrary to its image of pastoral tradition and French gastronomic excellence, Roquefort is now in the hands of three French industrial groups – Lactalis, Savencia and Sodiaal – which together control more than 95% of production. This comes at a time when the oldest French cheese appellation is facing a rampant consumption crisis. According to the latest numbers from the General Confederation of Roquefort, the seven cheese producers (six of which use industrial processes) sold 14,400 metric tons in 2023, compared to 16,000 in 2020 and 18,000 in 2007.
Anecdotally, I’ve gone from stocking Roquefort year round to just at Christmas now, Cabrales/Picos and Bleu de Causses sell much better year round.
LocalBeaver on
I don’t see what monopoly has anything to do with this. It sounds like a very fucked up capitalistic take on this. It’s Roquefort from the area around the Roquefort city. You don’t make it anywhere else because it simply won’t be it.
You don’t say New York has a monopoly on the Empire State Building. It’s just there.
rav-age on
I’ll mention that some of my favorites have disappeared from the shelves in the last year or two. Can’t tell if they are/were big cheese or locals, but still gone.
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**The village where France’s first cheese with an ‘appellation d’origine’ label is produced celebrates its centenary this weekend. But it’s a bittersweet anniversary, as industrial dairy groups now dominate this emblem of French gastronomy and sales have steadily declined for more than a decade.**
It’s a vast plateau, and nestled just below, a legendary cheese. In the natural cavities of the Larzac’s karstic landscape, straddling the Aveyron, Lozère, and Hérault regions in southern France, Roquefort has been aged for centuries, crafted exclusively from raw sheep’s milk collected within a 100-kilometer radius. Legend has it that a shepherd forgot his bread and cheese in a cave, and returned some days later to discover that this blue-green mold from the bread had colonized the curds.
Although Roquefort’s existence actually dates back to Antiquity, the cheese celebrates this year the 100^(th) anniversary of its *appellation d’origine*: a French label designating an agricultural product as being produced and processed in a particular region. It was the first for a cheese in France. The law establishing the designation was enacted on July 26, 1925, but the official celebration is set for the weekend of June 7 and 8, when the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France will host events including a sheep parade, culinary creations by Michelin-starred chefs and a drone show.
This is a strange centenary for this jewel of artisanal cheesemaking. Contrary to its image of pastoral tradition and French gastronomic excellence, Roquefort is now in the hands of three French industrial groups – Lactalis, Savencia and Sodiaal – which together control more than 95% of production. This comes at a time when the oldest French cheese appellation is facing a rampant consumption crisis. According to the latest numbers from the General Confederation of Roquefort, the seven cheese producers (six of which use industrial processes) sold 14,400 metric tons in 2023, compared to 16,000 in 2020 and 18,000 in 2007.
**Read the full article here:** [**https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/06/07/roquefort-cheese-s-100-year-anniversary-curdled-by-industrial-monopoly-and-declining-sales_6742115_19.html**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/06/07/roquefort-cheese-s-100-year-anniversary-curdled-by-industrial-monopoly-and-declining-sales_6742115_19.html)
Anecdotally, I’ve gone from stocking Roquefort year round to just at Christmas now, Cabrales/Picos and Bleu de Causses sell much better year round.
I don’t see what monopoly has anything to do with this. It sounds like a very fucked up capitalistic take on this. It’s Roquefort from the area around the Roquefort city. You don’t make it anywhere else because it simply won’t be it.
You don’t say New York has a monopoly on the Empire State Building. It’s just there.
I’ll mention that some of my favorites have disappeared from the shelves in the last year or two. Can’t tell if they are/were big cheese or locals, but still gone.