Farmhouse · Raw milk · Cave-aged naturally
Created by a collective of passionate dairy farmers from the Dordogne — the official name of the French département, known historically as the Périgord, a name that evokes centuries of culinary heritage and the rich countryside that many British residents of the region have come to call home — the tomme « Le Périgord » is the fruit of an exacting approach: raw hay milk, artisanal production and patient cave ageing in the former limestone quarries of La Tour-Blanche.
Every wheel tells the story of a terroir, of know-how and of a shared ambition: to produce an exceptional cheese, worthy of the finest tables.
« Mastering the entire production cycle, from fodder to ageing, to offer a product that reflects the richness of our terroir. »
A semi-cooked pressed paste made from raw milk, our tomme stands out with its dry, naturally brushed black rind and its supple paste with complex aromas of cave and undergrowth.
Our animals are traditionally fed on grass in summer and hay in winter, with no fermented feed or GMOs. Hay Milk is an official quality label guaranteeing production as close to nature as possible.
Learn more →A demanding cheese-making technique that gives our tomme its unique texture. The raw, unpasteurised milk preserves the full aromatic richness and complexity of the Périgord terroir.
Aged in the former limestone quarries of La Tour-Blanche, our tommes benefit from humidity close to 100% and a stable temperature of 10–13°C for optimal aromatic development.
Every step of the process is carefully mastered by our producers, guided by Patrick Anglade, Master Cheesemaker.
Raw milk is collected daily from our farmers. Fed on grass and barn-dried hay, the cows and ewes produce milk rich in cheesemaking properties, free of butyric bacteria.
The milk is heated to 32.5°C then inoculated with starter cultures. After maturation, renneting triggers coagulation. The curd firming time is meticulously monitored.
Manual curd cutting, stirring and progressive reheating up to 48°C. The grain is worked to achieve a "pea-to-hazelnut" size — the hallmark of a quality semi-cooked pressed paste.
The curd is placed in cloth-lined moulds and gradually pressed. Four turnings over 24 hours ensure even draining and the formation of the 8 kg wheel.
Dry-salted, face by face, for three days. Each face is salted for 24 hours then brushed off. The heel also receives its salting. This process contributes to rind formation.
The wheels enter the natural cave at La Tour-Blanche. Turned and brushed each week, they slowly develop their characteristic black rind and undergrowth aromas over 3 to 18 months.
Nestled in the heart of the former limestone quarries of La Tour-Blanche, our ageing cave benefits from exceptional natural conditions. These quarries, which once supplied the stone to build the city of Angoulême, now offer the perfect setting for ageing our tommes.
The naturally high humidity and stable temperature, guaranteed by the thickness of the limestone rock, allow slow and complex aromatic development. A natural chimney, opening ten metres above, ensures ideal ventilation of the cave.
Our association brings together passionate dairy farmers from across the Dordogne, united by the desire to add value to their quality milk and to master the entire production cycle, from fodder to aged cheese.
Périgord Vert
Dairy farmer, Hay Milk TSG certified . A pioneer of the project, he provides his processing workshop for the first production runs.
Mareuil-en-Périgord
Dairy sheep farmer, involved in ageing and cave monitoring. Together with Philippe, he provides weekly care to the cheeses in the La Tour-Blanche quarry.
Périgord & neighbouring cantons
The collective is growing steadily. Whether they farm cows or sheep, organic or conventional, all members share the same commitment to quality.
Today, your milk goes into bulk collection. Tomorrow, it could tell the story of your farm, your terroir, your craft. The « Le Périgord » project is a collective of farmers who have decided to take back control of their production — and to create, together, a cheese they can be proud of.
Major dairy groups are reducing their collection — nearly 450 million litres fewer by 2030 from the largest alone. For many farmers, this signals the end of dairy farming. This risk is real and affects our region.
Your milk is collected, blended and processed far away into mass-market brands. The Périgord identity, the quality of your pastures, your daily work — all of it disappears into a tanker truck. Nobody knows this milk comes from the Périgord.
Price wars, global competition, constant downward pressure. You produce quality milk in an exceptional setting — but your income doesn't reflect your work or the richness of your terroir.
The « Lait Faneurs du Périgord » association drives a collective project where the production infrastructure and decisions belong to the farmers. Not to a distant cooperative, not to an industrialist — to you.
No more depending on a single collector. Diversify your outlets with a high added-value product that you control from start to finish.
The processing workshop, the ageing cave, the shop: collective assets, decided and managed by the farmers themselves. Every voice counts.
Transformed into fine dining cheese, aged up to 18 months, your milk is worth far more than the bulk collection price. The goal: an income that matches your work.
The tomme « Le Périgord » carries the name of our territory. Registered trademark, PGI application underway — this is your cheese, from your milk, rooted in your Périgord.
We know that not everyone is ready to switch to Hay Milk overnight. We understand that perfectly — yields are different and the transition takes time.
But here is the technical reality: long ageing is not compatible with butyric bacteria. These bacteria, found in fermented fodder (silage, wrapped bales), produce gases that cause cheeses to swell and crack during ageing. This isn't a whim — it's cheese science.
This is why the greatest French PDO pressed-paste cheeses, such as Comté and Beaufort, ban fermented feed in their specifications. We want to produce a fine dining tomme capable of rivalling these benchmarks. That means upholding the same standard.
In practice, Hay Milk means: the original form of milk production. Animals fed on grass in summer and hay in winter, with no fermented feed or GMOs, following the rhythm of the seasons. An official European quality label (TSG) recognised by INAO in France, with a low carbon footprint that meets today's societal expectations.
Barn drying makes this achievable by guaranteeing quality fodder regardless of weather conditions. Funding options exist and we support each farmer through the transition.
Discover Hay Milk in detail →On each farm, to guarantee quality fodder year-round and meet the Hay Milk specifications.
A collective facility for making the tommes, accessible to all members. You don't need to invest alone.
In the former quarries of La Tour-Blanche. Exceptional natural conditions for 3 to 18 months of ageing.
On the cave site, open to visitors. A direct-sales venue to market your products with no middleman.
Whether you farm dairy cattle or sheep, organic or conventional, whether you already process or not — the collective is open. Let's talk, no commitment.
Get in touch with the collective Non-profit association · No commitment · Let's simply talk
The collective visited the AlterMonts dairy in Saint-Denis-sur-Coise (Monts du Lyonnais). Founded in 2020 by four organic farms, this collective dairy combines a processing workshop, ageing cave and shop — exactly the model we are building.
Read moreAfter an initial refusal, the trademark was successfully registered with INPI. The PGI Périgord application is underway with INAO.
Read moreThe collective visited three collective ageing caves in the Basque Country to draw inspiration from best practices and refine the La Tour-Blanche project.
Read more
Lait Faneurs du Périgord
Non-profit association (loi 1901)
Périgord, Dordogne
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Hay Milk TSG · Organic Farming
Raw milk · Natural cave ageing
PGI Périgord application underway