The best local producers Aveyron

In the Hamlet of Dilhac, the Rayrolles family has a herd of dairy cows whose milk is fully processed within the farm (butter, cream, butterflies, white cheese, ice); as well as pigs fed with the by-products of the cheese factory, and also processed on the farm (cooked meat, cooked meals, pâté). The farm is conducted in full organic farming.

Created in 1981, the Conserverie Quatrefages celebrated in 2021 forty years of know-how and good taste. Specialized in the manufacture of pâtés and terrines with the flavors of the Aveyron region, the company never stops imagining new recipes, based on duck, game or poultry. The pâté with Roquefort cheese or the one with Laguiole cheese from Aubrac, which are among the best-sellers of the company, are perfect examples. Ready-made meals, including the famous trénels millavois, complete the range of products on sale.

In this long building, which recalls the architecture of the local farms, farmers and local creators come to life on a daily basis, taking turns to ensure that consumers put a face on what they buy and consume. The people of Naucell have been quick to make this producers' shop their own for their everyday shopping: fruit and vegetables, meat, yoghurt, cheese, bread, spit-roasted cake... And tourists like to stop here to bring back gourmet gifts in their suitcases.

In the departmental archives, we learn that this mill dates from 1635; it has belonged to the Méjane family since 1880. Since then, parents and children have worked together on the farm and at the mill. They produce artisanal walnut, hazelnut and rapeseed oils from the first pressure. 100% natural, without additives or preservatives, they are particularly appreciated by local restaurant owners. The Méjane Mill also produces wheat and wheat flour in the traditional way, some of which have the Organic Agriculture label.

It's been 5 years now since Gérémie and Sophie took over the Biscuiterie that Guy and Josy created in 1978. The family makes excellent cookies in this old stone spinning mill. Made in the purest tradition, with no preservatives or colorants, the range includes a dozen cookies, starting with the famous Biscotin de Camarès, the Vanillais, the Amarillos, but our favorite is the Ammandéen with almond powder and a touch of bitter almond. Welcome with tasting and sale at the workshop.

Founded in 1983 in Espalion, the family business specialises in duck fat and traditional Aveyron cuisine. Confits, gizzards, terrines, foies gras and a range of typical Rouergue dishes: aligot, truffade, stuffed cabbage, pounti... The Manoir Alexandre welcomes visitors and gourmets around a video, retracing the stages of production, and offers in its shop a multitude of original boxes in which one slips the famous preserves sometimes accompanied by a good bottle.

There's no point in running, you've got to eat "local" could be the punchline of this gourmet, vitamin-packed address, which also serves as a sales outlet. The establishment federates producers from the Gorges du Tarn: farmers committed to "practices that respect nature and traditional processing methods". In addition to the wines of the Côtes de Millau, this small clan offers all the gastronomic riches of the Causses: charcuterie, fruit - including the famous cherry - cheeses... So you can fill your shopping bag with authentic products.

There are many reasons to push the doors of this shop. Buy a delicious foie gras of course. Taste the other "duck-based" specialities. Or simply put together a box of "home-made" products to make a nice gift. The shop, owned by the Douls family, is a real festival of irresistible flavours and has been perpetuating a tradition that goes back six generations of food professionals for thirty years. The company, named AFG - AF as in Auguste Fontanié, the grandfather - has indeed made duck its speciality.

A few kilometers from Salles-Curan, Céline Jeanjean invites visitors to discover her free-range processing of fattened ducks. It's a fun tour of her mini-farm and laboratory. You can watch ducks being born in incubators, or watch a force-feeding demonstration. A snack can be served on request: foie gras, pâté, dried duck breast and dry duck sausage on the table (and spit-roasted cake for sweet tooths). A real treat!

What is the cheese with such a marbled paste and smooth texture? The Bleu des Causses AOP of course! In the vicinity of Rodez, Laurence and Christian welcome you to their farm in Gazenas. The passionate couple will introduce you to their herd of Simmental and Montbéliard cows. Their quality milk is used to make this delicious cheese from Aveyron. The farmers will explain their work, from birth to milking, through the requirements of making this great blue cheese. Cheese sales at the farm.

Based in Laguiole, Claude Rus relies on his roots and ancestral traditions to make his products with the good taste of Aveyron. As a master craftsman and foie gras refiner, he is uncompromising about quality. The raw materials are rigorously selected and the lobes of duck foie gras are simply deveined, salted and peppered manually. No preservatives, no alcohol, no flavouring! Claude Rus also offers stuffed necks, quails, tripous, pâtés, fritons and other terrines, all made in the traditional way.

In this family farm, each generation has brought its own ideas. Today, Raphaël, Virginie and her husband Thibault, grow cereals and make flour, pasta, bread and pastries; while their parents keep their hands on the breeding activities. The family offers to share their passion and their work, every Wednesday of the year, during visits led with great generosity by Virginie. The discovery appeals to all the senses, through a walk in the wheat fields, a caress to the sheep, a tasting...

Since 1890, five generations have succeeded each other to keep the production of flour at the Castanié mill alive. In 1992, the Marty family decided to grind wheat the old-fashioned way with authentic stone millstones, the beginning of Florimeule flour. Today, only three pairs of flint millstones are still turning, next to the roller mill. The company still produces Florimeule, this old-fashioned flour, but also Régalou flour, as well as bakery, pastry and organic flours.

For forty years, the Teulier family has watched over this land in the Marcillac valley. A single hectare in 1982; today, some thirty terraced hectares on which solid vines flourish. Philippe and his son Julien produce remarkable wines, thanks to a passion and determination inherited from their forebears. The wines are the expression of their terroir and the reflection of the work of authentic winemakers proud of their grapes. In 2022, a new winery was completed, along with a cultural and educational trail at the heart of the estate.

Maxime has surrounded himself with the greatest ambassadors of the Villefranchois terroir in order to pursue his gastronomic path and create Lou Gaspillou. With his brand, he wishes to celebrate the Aveyron tradition, but also to alert people to the importance of its preservation. In each jar, he lovingly prepares delicious gastronomic specialties made from ugly and neglected fruits and vegetables. In the online store, you will find delicious jams, gazpachos, soups or salted spreads.

Claude is a producer based near Decazeville. Together with his parents, he looks after the only hazelnut grove in the Aveyron department: 12 hectares and 6,500 trees! Together, they transform the fruits of their hazelnut trees in a laboratory installed on the farm. Chouchous, oil, flour and shelled hazelnuts are sold in local grocery stores and online. Claude, passionate about his work, also offers tours of his hazelnut grove and presents the production cycle. The discovery always ends on a gourmet note, with a tasting.