Papillon
Papillon is a French specialty cheese producer founded in 1906 and based in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, manufacturing AOP-protected Roquefort and complementary traditional cheeses (margalet, perail, rondin, tomme de brebis) for retail, foodservice, and export channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1906
- HeadquartersRoquefort-sur-soulzon, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Papillon does
Papillon is a French, family-rooted specialty cheese producer headquartered in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France — the only legally delimited origin for Roquefort under the Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) regime. The company was founded in 1906 and operates with a workforce in the 101-250 employee range. Its product portfolio centers on AOP-protected Roquefort (marketed under the Red Butterfly, or "Papillon Rouge," designation) and extends to a broader range of traditional French sheep's- and cow's-milk cheeses including margalet, perail, rondin, and tomme de brebis.
Core operations revolve around cave-aging of raw ewe's milk cheeses in the Cambalou caves of the Roquefort-sur-Soulzon region, in accordance with the AOP cahier des charges that governs regional sourcing, milk composition, and affinage techniques. The company's product mix spans single-heritage Roquefort blocks and consumer-friendly formats (rondin-style) as well as complementary specialty cheeses, suggesting both domestic retail and broader foodservice or export channels.
The business model is conventional specialty dairy: manufacturing under AOP license, distribution through French retail, foodservice, and international specialty cheese channels, with revenue derived from unit sales of branded AOP and complementary cheeses. No pricing, customer-level revenue, contract, or capital-raise information is disclosed in the source data, so customer segmentation, average selling price, and channel mix cannot be quantified from the available evidence.
Papillon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Papillon
- Website
- https://roquefort-papillon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1906
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Papillon is a French specialty cheese producer founded in 1906 and based in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, manufacturing AOP-protected Roquefort and complementary traditional cheeses (margalet, perail, rondin, tomme de brebis) for retail, foodservice, and export channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Papillon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Cheese
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cheese Aging/Affineur Services (Maturation & Cave-Aging) (AFAHABAH)
Keywords
Where Papillon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roquefort-sur-soulzon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Papillon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations
Papillon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Papillon is a French cheese producer and supplier founded in 1906, specializing in Roquefort AOP and other traditional sheep's milk cheeses including margalet, perail, rondin, and tomme de brebis. The company operates from Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France and produces a wide variety of cheeses under its own brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Roquefort AOP Red Butterfly
- Margalet
- Perail
- Rondin
- Tomme de Brebis
Companies that use Papillon
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Papillon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Papillon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Papillon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fromageries Carles: Direct peer — another Roquefort-sur-Soulzon AOP producer offering the same flagship blue cheese and a portfolio of sheep's-milk specialties, directly competitive with Papillon in domestic and export specialty channels.
- Roquefort Société: Direct peer — one of the historic Roquefort AOP producers, also based in the Roquefort-sur-Soulzon area, manufacturing the same protected blue cheese and competing head-to-head with Papillon on retail and foodservice shelves.
- Gabriel Coulet: Direct peer — family-owned Roquefort AOP producer operating from the same Aveyron terroir; comparable sheep's-milk sourcing, aging cave infrastructure, and customer base to Papillon.
Emerging players
- Comté / Ossau-Iraty AOP producers (e.g., Maison Marcel Petite): Emerging peer — French AOP cheese producers in adjacent protected categories that compete for the same specialty cheese counter real estate, foodservice cheese boards, and fine-food retail premium positioning as Papillon's Roquefort AOP.
Broad incumbents
- Savencia Fromage & Dairy: Broad incumbent — major French specialty cheese group owning numerous AOP and branded cheese lines; directly comparable in offering broad, premium-tier cheese portfolios to retailers and foodservice that overlap with Papillon's distribution footprint.
- Fromageries Bel: Broad incumbent — large French cheese manufacturer (Laughing Cow, Babybel, plus specialty/AOP lines) with global retail reach; sets the competitive context for AOP and premium sheep-cheese categories where Papillon operates.
- Saputo: Broad incumbent — global dairy group with growing specialty/AOP cheese exposure following European acquisitions; competes for the same premium and private-label specialty cheese contracts in North America and Europe.
- Arla Foods: Broad incumbent — European dairy cooperative with significant specialty and AOP cheese interests; competes for premium cheese shelf space and foodservice contracts in the same export markets Papillon targets.
- Lactalis: Broad incumbent — global French dairy conglomerate with a broad cheese portfolio (including Roquefort-adjacent brands and other AOP cheeses); competes via scale, distribution, and retailer negotiations that shape the same specialty cheese category Papillon plays in.
Others
- Roquefort Papillon USA (distribution arm): Adjacent ecosystem — Papillon's own export and distribution operations for the US market; relevant because export channel architecture is a key competitive variable for all Roquefort producers chasing premium US shelf space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Customer concentration
Papillon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Papillon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Papillon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Papillon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Papillon
What does Papillon do?
Papillon is a French cheese producer and supplier founded in 1906, specializing in Roquefort AOP and other traditional sheep's milk cheeses including margalet, perail, rondin, and tomme de brebis. The company operates from Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France and produces a wide variety of cheeses under its own brand.
When was Papillon founded?
Papillon was founded in 1906. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Papillon based?
Papillon is headquartered in Roquefort-sur-soulzon, France, in the Europe region.
Who are Papillon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fromageries Carles, Roquefort Société and Gabriel Coulet. Comté / Ossau-Iraty AOP producers (e.g., Maison Marcel Petite) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Savencia Fromage & Dairy, Fromageries Bel, Saputo, Arla Foods and Lactalis. Roquefort Papillon USA (distribution arm) is listed as an others.
Does Papillon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Papillon.
What industry is Papillon in?
Papillon's product category is Specialty Cheese. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAHABAB, Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue), with a secondary code of AFAHABAH, Cheese Aging/Affineur Services (Maturation & Cave-Aging). Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2020.