For ninety-nine years
François · Jacques · Delphine
For nearly a century, three generations have followed one another within Maison Carles. From François Carles to Jacques Carles, then to Delphine Carles, one shared artisanal craft is passed on faithfully, in keeping with the inherited gestures and the identity of the Maison. Over the generations, the buildings have certainly changed, but the craft itself has stayed the same.
Chapter I · The founder
In 1927, François Carles founded Maison Carles in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
At the time, milk was collected across several villages of the southern Aveyron. François Carles gradually developed several small dairies as close as possible to the producers, in order to process the sheep's milk each day.
In 1957, his son Jacques Carles developed this organisation further by building up milk transport. The various dairies were gradually brought together in Martrin, while keeping the same principle: processing milk collected each day.
This change allowed Maison Carles to support the growth of its activity while remaining faithful to its artisanal craft.
So begins the story of a family Maison that, for nearly a century, has been passed down from generation to generation.
Chapter II · The second generation
Craftsmanship as a commitment
In 1957, Jacques Carles took over the family Maison. At a time when Roquefort was undergoing a profound change in its production methods, he chose to preserve the craft passed on by his father: the milk of the day, the artisanal gestures, the culture of Penicillium roqueforti on bread, and ageing on oak travées in the natural caves of Combalou.
At the same time, he reshaped the organisation of milk collection by building up dairy transport and gradually brought the various dairies together in Martrin.
This change supported the growth of Maison Carles, while remaining faithful to its identity.
Moving the Maison forward without giving up its identity:
Jacques Carles would make it the guiding thread of a lifetime.
Chapter III · The third generation
Third generation. Director and master artisan at once. Both titles carried through the same gestures.
Director · Master Artisan
Master Artisan
Faithful to the craft of Maison Carles, Delphine Carles keeps pace with the changing tastes and expectations of Roquefort lovers.
She selects a Penicillium roqueforti that will give rise to Roquefort Carles Élégance, a softer, rounder and more unctuous expression.
Alongside Convoitise, it reflects the determination of Maison Carles to offer two complementary expressions, always made with the same artisanal craft.
Two expressions. One shared craft. The same pleasure in the tasting.
I did not invent the gesture.
I extend it.
Chapter IV · An interlude
Before the travée, before the caves, there is the milk. It arrives each morning from thirteen farms of the causse, delivered by shepherds whose first names the Maison knows.
Raw sheep's milk, delivered twice a day in season. No blending, no buffer storage: the morning round goes into the vat in the afternoon. It keeps the memory of the grass, the flower, the season.
Little written, plenty of consistency. Pickup at fixed hours, a price that follows quality, tests carried out on site. When a flock changes hands, the agreement follows, without renegotiation. That is rare. It is the signature of a short supply chain, in the literal sense of the term.
The shepherds know their milk will go onto travées, not into an industrial vat. They also know their name stays attached to what leaves the cave. It changes the way they tend to their sheep. It is not a marketing argument, it is a fact on the ground.
La maison Carles s'inscrit dans l'histoire du Roquefort depuis sa fondation en 1927, au cœur du village de Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Découvrez comment ces trois générations d'affineurs ont transmis, de père en fils, l'art d'un fromage d'exception.
Depuis la légende du berger qui donna naissance au Roquefort, Carles cultive une approche fermière nourrie d'un ancrage aveyronnais profond : 13 exploitations partenaires, un lait du jour même, et les caves naturelles du Combalou.
Reconnaissable à son emblème le Chaperon Rouge, la maison Carles incarne un savoir-faire traditionnel intact depuis près d'un siècle.
Ce récit familial prend racine sur les causses du Larzac et le plateau calcaire du Combalou, un terroir qu'on peut prolonger en découvrant l'Aveyron. Une fois ouvert, le fromage trouve ses meilleures harmonies avec les vins de la maison et se prête à mille préparations, à commencer par un feuilleté gourmand signé Carles.
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History tells where the Maison comes from. The following pages tell how it holds.
