Roquefort

Image courtesy of Charlotte Minnick. Clean wool ready to be processed.

Nestled in the Aveyron region in the southwest corner of France, Roquefort is home to local products, proud farmers, and traditional ways. On our seventh day in France, we took a trip to visit three different locations in Roquefort to gain an understanding of the interconnectedness of the production of the cheese that makes it so famous. We started our day by visiting La Filature Colbert, a small wool processing center found in Camarès. There, we met with the individuals running the operation, and learned how they transform a byproduct with no value into a variety of different goods. Sheep farmers in the region work to collect milk from the Lacaune breed that can be used for Roquefort cheese. However, there was not anything being done with the wool that grows on the backs of the same sheep. La Filature Colbert collects the unused wool from nearby farms, sends it to Spain to be washed in a needed large-scale way, and then accepts it to their site in France again. Once there, we watched as machines filtered the wool from the dust, spread it into thin sheets, and then used needles to turn the wool into felt. They create products such as yoga mats, insulation, and garden felt. Through this process, La Filature Colbert takes wool that would previously go unused, and turns it into local products!

Image courtesy of Charlotte Minnick. Combalou caves.

The second location we stopped at was, of course, the Roquefort Société caves. There we took a guided tour of the caves and cellars, ending the visit with a tasting of three different Roquefort cheeses. In order to make the cheese, a series of very specific steps must be followed. After the milk is made into curds, the powdered bacteria penicillium roqueforti is added to the mixture in order to create the blue-green veins after ripening. This bacteria first grows on rye or whole wheat bread in the caves, and exists only in Roquefort. Once the penicillium roqueforti is integrated, the small wheels are left to ripen in the cellars for fourteen days. Master ripeners frequently test and check the cheeses, and decide when the process is complete. While all of these steps are crucial to the outcome, circulation and airflow within the caves is one of the most important aspects. Humid air must come through the fleurines, fissures in the rock, and allow for the cheese and bacteria to ripen properly.

Image courtesy of Charlotte Minnick. Ewes with their lambs.

The last stop we made for the day was at a small sheep farm not far from Société. Run by just four individuals, this farm cares for eight hundred ewes, as well as rams and lambs. Once it was time for the sheep to be milked for the second time in the day, we observed as they were walked onto an automatic milker, with each being milked in three minutes. After being collected, this milk will go to make Roquefort! 

Although we went to three different operations, there was an underlying theme to all. Everyone involved in the production of these goods had a strong sense of pride surrounding their work, and the emphasis on locality. They spoke about the ties of community and how their morals drive what they do. The final product may be a delicious cheese, it is also many people’s care, knowledge, and passion.