Société
Also known as: Roquefort Société, Societe Roquefort, Société des Caves de Roquefort, Société Douceur, Société Le Fouetté
Société is a French Roquefort AOP brand from Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, registered in 1863, whose cheeses ripen in the caves of the Combalou; it belongs to the Lactalis group.
Société is a French Roquefort brand registered in 1863 by a company of cave owners in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (Aveyron department). Today the brand belongs to the Lactalis group, and its cheeses still ripen in the natural caves of the Combalou mountain.
Until 1851 Roquefort was made and sold by independent cave owners. That year seven of them pooled their assets and founded the Société Civile de Roquefort. In 1863 the director Etienne Coupiac registered the word “SOCIETE” in an oval at the commercial court of Saint-Affrique; in 1959 the oval turned green. In the 1990s the Société des Caves de Roquefort joined Lactalis, the family dairy company from Laval that is the world's largest maker of dairy products.
Roquefort was the first cheese protected by an appellation of origin, under the French law of 26 July 1925, and in 1996 it was registered in the EU as a PDO. It is a blue cheese made from raw sheep's milk. The Combalou caves were formed by the collapse of the mountain, and natural fissures called “fleurines” ventilate them; some Société caves have been open to visitors since 1957.
The brand has several Roquefort AOP ranges: Société 1863 (including the Cave Saveur pack created in 2000), the organic Société Bio, the milder Société Douceur and single-cave Roqueforts — Cave des Templiers, Caves Baragnaudes and Caves Abeille. It also sells the whipped Société Le Fouetté, Société Crème and crispy palets. Société Roquefort goes well with pears, walnuts and sweet wines.
Facts
| Year founded | 1863 (company 1851) |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, Aveyron |
| Raw material | Raw sheep's milk |
How it connects to Cheese
Société → kind of → 🏭 Cheese producers and brands → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Roquefort was protected only when the EU PDO arrived in 1996?
No, Roquefort was the first cheese protected by an appellation of origin, under the French law of 26 July 1925; the EU registered it as a PDO in 1996.
Who owns the Société Roquefort brand?
Lactalis, which the Société des Caves de Roquefort joined in the 1990s.
Can the Société caves be visited?
Yes, some caves have been open to visitors since 1957.
Where does the name Société come from?
From a company set up by seven cave owners; the word in an oval was registered as a trademark in 1863.
Which Société Roquefort range is milder?
The Douceur range.
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