The Story of Petit Basque: From Basque Shepherds to a Gourmet Dairy Brand in Gironde

Although it was born on the banks of the Garonne, the dairy ‘The Little Basque‘, located in Saint-Médard-d’Eyrans (Gironde), could never have been called ‘Le Petit Girondin’. And for good reason. The company, launched in the 1950s, is the legacy of the Alcachébury family. A Basque family who settled in Gironde after the war. Which, at this time, crosses the route of the shepherds in transhumance with their Lacaune breed ewes.

On the Bordeaux wine route, there are many who provide manure to the chatelains. The opportunity for them to sell their milk to individuals, while implanting the sheep’s curd. This local dessert has established itself, over time, as a real Proust madeleine for many generations. The latter will become the business of the Basques who decide to spread it throughout the region.

The story begins in a garage…

As the era did not impose as many hygiene rules as today, it was enough to have a bicycle, and with a few pedal strokes, the dairy artisans could shape it at home. Directly into the gourmet bowls. Most of the time, this sheep’s milk was stored in truncated conical jars cardboard, sometimes glass.

Heated, renneted and moulded, without additives or preservatives, it will become the flagship product of Petit Basque. And to continue its marketing, the Alcachéburys decide to use their garage as the first production lineto mechanize the creative process.

Recipes are established within the four walls of the family home. This is where the Petit Basque began to make a name for itself.

Booming, while thehe Bordeaux region loves curd, the Basques decided to hand over to an artisan dairyman in 1982. Jean-Michel Caillaud took over and breathed new life into it. In 1995, production diversified with its sheep’s milk yoghurts and gourmet desserts. There he decides to settle down To Saint-Medard-d’Eyrans in a former salad bagging company.

The building, covered in green, becomes the heart of production. It is also a hiring period when the company begins to have more and more employees in its ranks (nearly 200 employees today). To continue its development, part of the production chain was exported to Beautiran. Moreover, the Petit Basque never stops. The site runs day and night.

We collect our milk with our breeders in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

“All recipes come from our kitchen”

However, this factory that looks like a big machine has kept its recipes of yesteryear. “All recipes come from our kitchen. There are no additives to retain the true taste of sheep’s milk, explain Anne-Sophie Dupuy, brand manager, and Katia Langbourg, marketing department manager. We collect our milk with our breeders in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. »

From the Dordogne to Aveyron, via Tarn, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonne and Haute-Garonne, this milk made in the South-West is produced by 102 producers. 45 are organic, 53 conventional and four organic cow’s milk.

Most are farmers and feed their animals directly on the farm. A short circuit led by the Petit Basque which is the pride of the group: “Not all sheep brands can boast of this collection which is 100% in French agriculture”, continue the two employees.

Valuing its fatty sludge

On the farm side, the dairy has chosen to partner with a local vegetable farm which has its own biogas plant. Its role: to recover its 800 tonnes of fatty sludge (from the degreaser of its wastewater treatment plant) for the production of biogas and compost for agricultural land.

Today, the Petit Basque can develop this kind of project. Under the control of the Breton family group Sill, located in Plouvien and specialized in the dairy industry, the brand is continuing its merry way by perpetuating its traditions in France. Perhaps one day, Girondin dairy products will be exported beyond France. For the moment, this is not the priority of the brand.

Waiting for, the latest technologies benefit the Girondin site which multiplies its creations through its production lines: curds, yogurts, skyrs, cottage cheeses, desserts made from cow’s or sheep’s milk… “We want to continue innovating, we want to reach all audiences and we manage to master our new tools” , concludes Anne-Sophie, who keeps an eye on what is happening at the heart of production. If there is something for everyone, you still have to appreciate sheep’s milk!

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