Regions of France

France is a geographically diverse nation, with various climates and topographies. And because of the way cheesemaking developed in the country, each region of France has its own distinct cheeses. We’ve created this interactive map to demonstrate where in the country your favorite styles of French cheese come from. Simply click on a region to learn more about it.

Hauts-De-France

The name of this region translates to “Upper France,” and, yes, it is the northernmost point in the country. It borders Belgium to its east and the English Channel to its north, where at the narrowest point of the Strait of Dover it is only 20 miles from England. Hauts-de-France is one of the newest official regions in France, coming into existence on January 1, 2016 as a result of the merger of two smaller regions. Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Hauts-de-France.

Cheeses from Hauts-de-France include: Maroilles, Neufchatel, Rollot

Normandy

Normandy makes up the core of France’s northern coast, where the Seine flows into the English Channel. It’s the home of Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant, and Alexis de Tocqueville, as well as the Normande cow, a breed so prized for its butterfat-rich milk that it’s been exported the world over. Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Normandy.

Cheese from Normandy includes: Beurre D’Isigny, Camembert, Brillat-Savarin, Livarot, and Pont L’eveque

Brittany

If you look at a map of the world, you’ll see a little nub on the northwest coast of France, pointing across the Atlantic at Newfoundland. That peninsula is the region of Brittany, known for its world-renowned oysters and some of the oldest architecture still standing (we’re talking monuments and megaliths built 7,000 years ago). While most of France is wine-centric, Brittany’s go-to drink is cider. So if you’re looking to pair the right beverage with your Breton cheese, think apple over grape.Click On The Map to French Regional Favorites

Cheese from Brittany includes: Curé Nantais, Abbaye de Timadeuc, Joie de Notre Dame

Île-de-France

Île-de-France accounts for just 2% of the total area of France, but it has 18% of the French population. The reason? Paris. This region is home to France’s famed capital, as well as some of the country’s most renowned palaces, like Versailles and Fontainebleau. You better believe the epicenter of French culture does makes some serious cheese with French cultures.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Île-de-France

Cheese from Île-de-France includes: Brie De Meaux, Brie De Melun, Brie Fermier

Grand Est

The eastern border of France runs along seven different countries, and the Grand Est region touches four of them. Grand Est meets Germany and Switzerland in the area of Alsace, France’s primary beer-producing region. The official seat of the European Parliament is in the Alsatian city of Strasbourg.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Grand Est

Cheese from Grand Est includes: Chaource, Epoisses, Langres, Munster

Pays De La Loire

Pays de la Loire is what you see of France in your mind’s eye: rolling pasture, verdant fields, and majestic castles dotting the riverbanks. It is also the birthplace of beurre blanc and the rillete. You may think that a region known for both a butter sauce and a preparation of potted meat might make some seriously good cheese. You’d be right.Click On The Map to Shop French Regional Favorites.

Cheese from Pays de la Loire: Beurre Charentes Poitou, Saint-Paulin, Pont L’eveque

Centre-Val De Loire

The Loire Valley has it all: stunning chateaus, world-class wine (it’s the home of Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet franc, and Gamay, to name just a few), and first-rate dairies. In the cheese world, the Loire Valley is synonymous with goat cheese, producing what are simply the most storied and iconic styles in existence.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Centre-Val de la Loire

Cheese from Centre-Val de Loire includes: Crottin De Chavignol, Pouligney Saint Piere, Selles Sur Cher, Sainte Maure De Touraine, Valencay

Bourgogne-Franche-Comte

The eastern region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is the result of a recent merger of two of France’s most celebrated culinary regions: Burgundy and Franche-Comté. You know Burgundy for its vaunted status in the wine world (it’s the home of Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Beaujolais), and Franche-Comté for the divine cheese that bears its name, but this region overfloweth with gustatory glories beyond what it’s typically associated with.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Franche Comte

Cheese from Bourgogne includes: Beurre De Bresse, Brie De Meaux, Brie De melun, Charolais, Crottin De Chavignol, Epoisses, Langres, Maconnais Cheese from Franche-Comte includes: Beurre De Bresse, Bleu De Gex, Comté, Morbier, Munster, Vacherin Mont D’or

Nouvelle Aquitaine

It’s the region of Bordeaux, the region of Bergerac, the region of Bayonne. Could Nouvelle-Aquitaine B any more beautiful? As the largest region in France, its topography ranges from brushy shores (where you’ll find the tallest sand dune in all of Europe) to the snow-covered crags of the Pyrenees. You’ll also find some stellar food and drink.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Nouvelle Aquitane

Cheese from Nouvelle-Aquitaine includes: Bleu De Causses, Chabichou, Ossau Iraty, Rocamandour, Tomes De Bauges

Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

The Auvergne. The Rhône River. The French Alps. This newly-merged mega-region is the home of some legendary mountain ranges, where the impressively vertical topography has informed everything about the cheesemaking process, from grazing to aging. The result is a family of cheeses so spectacular that regions around the world attempt to recreate them on their own terrain.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Auvergne-Rhone-Alps

Cheese from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes includes: Abondance, Beaufort, Beurre De Bresse, Bleu De Gex, Bleu De Vecors, Chevrotin, Fourme D’Ambert, Fourme De Montbrison, Picodon, Reblochon, Rigotte De Condrieu

Occitanie

Occitanie is the southwestern region of France, accounting for most of the border with Spain (and all of the border of Andorra, if you want to get micro about it). It is the land of cassoulet and, considering it accounts for half of France’s Mediterranean coastline, the land of salted fish, olives, and garlic. Its cheese may not be as well-known as that of other regions, but it is no less excellent.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Occitaine

Cheese from Occitanie includes: Bethmale, Massious, Tomme des Pyrénées, Laurenthym

Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur

Nice. Marseille. Cannes. Monaco even, in that strange way that Monaco is kind of French but not really. Point is: Provence-Alpes-Côte D’Azur is known the world over for its waters that are so distinctive there’s a shade of blue with its name. But it also produces cheeses that happily hold their own against any of the big name style from further north.Click On The Map to Shop Cheeses from Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur

Cheese from Provence-Alpes-Côte D’Azur includes: Banon, La Brousse Du Rove

Corsica

Corsica: Birthplace of Napoleon, island of olives and chestnuts. All Corsican cheese is made of either sheep or goat milk, and the trademark style is called Brocciu, often considered to be the most representative food of the entire island. It is like a richer, lactose-free version of Ricotta, and is ubiquitous in Corsican cuisine.Click On The Map to Shop French Regional Favorites

Cheese from Corsica includes: Brocciu, Tomme de Brebis, Tomme de Chevre

French Favorites

Cheese, foie gras, pate, honey, chocolate...there are just too many excellent French products to name. So we’ve put them all together in one place, our French Favorites page. You can browse through all the excellent French and French-style goods that we carry, from your favorite cheeses to the specialty items you’ve yet to discover.