BELLEVAIRE

When Talking About Butter, You Can't Ignore France

France is the undisputed homeland of butter. And when it comes to exceptional butter, one name stands above the rest: Beillevaire—one of the most renowned fromageries in the country. What makes it truly unique? It is the only company that still processes raw milk and churns butter in traditional wooden barrels.

When Pascal and Claudine Beillevaire embarked on their journey in 1980, they had just 50 cows and produced fromage blanc, cream, and unpasteurized butter, selling them at local markets. Today, 40 years later, Beillevaire has grown into an artisan powerhouse, with 20 cheese shops, 10 food halls, and a presence in 50 markets every week

Beillevaire: The Excellence of Raw Milk Butter

The real butter, the butter of true quality, the one that helped make French cuisine the gold standard for gourmands worldwide, is undeniably French. Period. There’s no debating this fact. But even within French butter, there is always room to seek out excellence. And at the pinnacle of buttery perfection, one name stands out: Beillevaire. It is the only dairy in France that still produces raw milk butter, churned in traditional wooden barrels, just as it was done in the past.

The story of Beillevaire is a family story, deeply rooted in the Breton marshlands of Vendée, nestled between the Loire estuary and the Île de Noirmoutier—a wild and remarkable land with a unique character.

It was here, over forty years ago, that Pascal and his wife Claudine embarked on their journey, blending two lifelong passions: farming and trade. Their goal? To produce true artisanal butter, just as Pascal’s family had always done.

At the start, they had 50 cows on their farm. Pascal’s parents crafted fromage blanc, unpasteurized cream, and unpasteurized butter, selling them at local markets.

By 1982, they expanded their offering to include handcrafted cheeses. In 1987, they opened their first store in Les Sables-d’Olonne, followed by Nantes in 1989, and finally reaching Paris in 1998 

 

The Full Flavor of French Cheeses

In addition to 150 dairy products, Beillevaire has expanded its range to include 30 different cheeses, each crafted into hundreds of unique varieties across six production and aging facilities. These facilities are strategically located in the historical regions of France known for producing AOP-certified cheeses.

Above all, Beillevaire has made a name for itself in the premium butter market, thanks to a unique business model based on sourcing milk exclusively from local farmers—five cow’s milk farms and one goat’s milk farm—that prioritize sustainable agriculture, with the utmost respect for the environment and animal welfare.

However, what truly sets Beillevaire apart from every other French dairy producer comes down to three key factors:

  • Raw milk

  • Traditional wooden churns

  • Artisanal production

While Beillevaire is internationally renowned for its raw milk butter, still crafted in ancient wooden churns using a fully artisanal process, its exclusive offerings extend far beyond this prestigious specialty.

Among its gourmet delights, Beillevaire also produces flavored butters—infused with lemon, pepper, chili, and seaweed—as well as crème crue, crème fraîche, creamy spreads, natural and fruit yogurts… and, of course, cheese—the royal family of French gastronomy, the very backbone of the nation’s blue-white-red identity.

It is no surprise, then, that during the German occupation of France in World War II, Winston Churchill famously declared that a country capable of producing over 200 types of cheese could never be defeated. History, fortunately, proved him right. With its six production sites strategically located in France’s most renowned AOP-certified regions, Beillevaire is able to craft an impressive selection of fine cheeses, offering the market a vast repertoire of flavors and aromas.

Unlike Italian cheeses, which tend to be large in size and aged for extended periods, French cheeses are generally smaller and matured over just a few weeks. This characteristic makes them ideal for elegant tasting platters.

And to delight connoisseurs and gourmands, Beillevaire has created an exclusive petit plateau just for Longino & Cardenal—a tasting selection featuring raw butter and four exquisite cheeses. Weighing just 170 grams, it is the perfect single-serve indulgence for wine bars, gourmet bistros, and upscale fast-casual restaurants

How Is Beillevaire Raw Milk Butter Made?

It all starts with the raw material—naturally. Raw milk is collected from Beillevaire’s carefully selected farmers, preserved with its natural bacterial flora by maintaining the temperature between 15 and 36°C (59-97°F), and processed within 48 hours of milking. In other words, the milk enters the facility without ever being refrigerated or stored, ensuring that all its natural aromas remain intact.

Choosing raw milk is a decision with deep meaning.

  • First and foremost, it reflects a strong connection to the land—more precisely, to the flavors of the terroir and what the cows eat. Any raw milk product—including butter—preserves unique flavors and aromas that would otherwise fade with pasteurization. This is why in spring and summer, when cows graze on fresh, green grass, Beillevaire butter develops a more intense flavor and a richer golden hue.

  • The second reason is craftsmanship. It’s no coincidence that all AOP-certified French cheeses must be made with raw milk. Even though Beillevaire operates as a large-scale company, its butter is still produced artisanal-style—meaning 80% of the production process is done by hand.

At the heart of Beillevaire’s dairy tradition lies the wooden churn—a kind of rotating barrel, similar to a cement mixer or horizontal cask, where the butter-making process happens. Under the constant supervision of a master cheesemaker, the cream from raw milk is vigorously churned, causing the fat globules to break and reassemble, forming a solid, spongy texture—the first stage of true artisanal butter.

At this point, the butter is hand-scooped from the churn and is ready to be packaged plain or salted with fleur de sel from Noirmoutier, just a few kilometers from Machecoul, where Beillevaire is based.

Even the portioning is done by hand, using wooden molds equipped with hinges to press the butter into its desired shape. The final step? Wrapping—done entirely by hand.

Thanks to this fully artisanal process, Beillevaire is able to customize butter with a client’s logo—with no minimum order quantities. The L&C-branded raw milk butter portions you’ll find in our catalog are exclusively crafted for Longino & Cardenal by Beillevaire.

Our Recommendation?

Start your meal with a warm bread appetizer, paired with salted butter—a simple yet extraordinary way to elevate the dining experience.