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Cancoillotte — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

PGI — Franche-Comté

Cancoillotte

Creamy, runny and golden, served hot with garlic or plain over a plate of potatoes: Cancoillotte is the cheese of the people of Franche-Comté, elevated to the status of a speciality.

Processed cheese from Franche-Comté, PGI (IGP) since 2022.

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At a glance

History & Origins

Cancoillotte — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

From Gallo-Roman origins to cheeses born of poverty

The origins of Cancoillotte remain uncertain, but local legend traces it back more than 2,000 years, to the time when Franche-Comté was still known as Séquanie. Its name is said to derive from the Latin phrase 'concoctum lactem', found in Roman writings recounting the capture of Séquanie in 58 BC.

On the plains of Franche-Comté, where grass grows in abundance but milk was not collected for the production of Comté, farmers produced butter and cream for sale. What remained was the skimmed milk, which they turned into a cheese inedible in its raw state: metton. Crumbled and then ripened in a room heated to at least 20 °C for a minimum of twelve hours — a yeast fermentation, not a long cellar maturation —, this curd could then be melted with a little butter to give rise to Cancoillotte. A poor man's cheese, certainly, but nourishing, hearty and singularly flavoursome.

Cancoillotte — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

From family tradition to industrialisation (1914 onwards)

Long sold at local markets, Cancoillotte enjoyed its first commercial boom at the end of the 19th century, reaching as far as Parisian dairies. But it was the First World War that marked its entry into the industrial era: Laurent Raguin then came up with the idea of sterilising it and packaging it in tin cans to supply the soldiers from Franche-Comté sent to the front. This initiative allowed the cheese to travel and keep, spreading well beyond its borders a speciality that had until then been essentially regional.

From tradition to recognition (PGI (IGP) 2022)

Cancoillotte has retained its status as a popular, accessible cheese: an everyday product, remarkably light (less than 15% fat), nourishing and easy to cook with. Its specification was approved by decree on 19 February 2021, before the European Commission registered the PGI on 20 May 2022 — a belated recognition for a speciality that legend claims is thousands of years old.

Terroir and geographical roots

The protected geographical area covers all the communes of Doubs (25), Jura (39), Haute-Saône (70) and Territoire de Belfort (90) — former Franche-Comté —, as well as neighbouring communes of Ain, Côte-d'Or, Haute-Marne, Saône-et-Loire and Vosges. The milk comes from a herd made up of more than two thirds cows of the Montbéliarde, French Simmental or Vosgienne breeds, whose local grassland potential is harnessed through feed overwhelmingly produced on the farm.

Product characteristics

Sensory profile

Appearance

Cream to light yellow colour, uniform when plain

Aroma

Reminiscent of milk and butter, with a yeasty note characteristic of the metton ripening

Taste

Milky and buttery, punchy and aromatic in the flavoured versions (garlic, vin jaune, spices)

Texture

Semi-liquid to stringy, slightly sticky when hot; firms up slightly as it cools

Varieties

Cancoillotte comes in several versions, all authentic and well loved:

Plain

the most classic version, with nothing added, revealing the milky and buttery flavour of the metton

With garlic

the best known and most popular, enriched with pink garlic, much enjoyed over steamed potatoes

With vin jaune

a festive version using a Jura white wine (Chardonnay, Savagnin) eligible for the 'Vin Jaune' designation, which brings an incomparable aromatic complexity

With walnuts

the specification authorises the addition of walnuts and aromatic herbs, for a richer, crunchier version

How it is made

Production follows a rigorous process in two fundamental stages:

01

Preparation of the metton

Skimmed cow's milk is curdled (lactic method or rennet), drained, then moulded to form the white metton (block)

02

Ripening

The metton, crumbled, is ripened in a room heated to at least 20 °C for a minimum of 12 hours, developing the yeast ferm… Read more
The metton, crumbled, is ripened in a room heated to at least 20 °C for a minimum of 12 hours, developing the yeast fermentation responsible for its characteristic aroma
03

Melting and packaging

The ripened metton is melted hot with the addition of water and butter (final fat content below 15%), combined with salt… Read more
The ripened metton is melted hot with the addition of water and butter (final fat content below 15%), combined with salt or flavourings (garlic, spices, wine) where appropriate, then packaged hot (above 65 °C)

Tasting & pairings

Cancoillotte — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

Cancoillotte can be enjoyed cold, spread on bread, or hot, melted as an accompaniment. Its culinary uses are manifold:

  • Cold, as an aperitif: spread on crusty bread or as a dip with vegetables
  • Hot, as a main course: poured over sautéed or steamed potatoes, with local charcuterie (saucisse de Morteau)
  • Garnish or filling: in sauces, gnocchi, tarts or œufs cocotte
  • Drink pairings: a Jura white wine (Chardonnay), echoing the wine sometimes used in the making of the cheese itself

Labels & certifications

PGI (IGP)

Since: 2022

Area covered: Doubs (25), Jura (39), Haute-Saône (70), Territoire de Belfort (90) + neighbouring communes of Ain, Côte-d'Or, Haute-Marne, Saône-et-Loire and Vosges

Key requirements: Raw material: metton mandatory (skimmed cow's milk cheese); herd composed of more than 2/3 Montbéliarde, French Simmental or Vosgienne breeds; ripening of the metton ≥ 12 h at a minimum of 20 °C; manufactured by melting with water and butter; dry matter ≥ 20%; fat < 15% of total weight

The people of the terroir

Producer · Award-winning Pontarlier

Fromagerie Badoz

Major artisanal cheese house

Producer Valoreille

Fruitière de Valoreille-Fleurey

Dairy co-operative

All production is certified organic Producer · Organic Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon

BIODEAL SAS

Artisanal industry

Producer · Award-winning Aboncourt-Gesincourt

Pâturages Comtois

Dairy cooperative

Part of the production is certified organic Producer · Award-winning · Organic range Vieux-Charmont

Fromagerie Lehmann

Artisan manufacturer

Producer Les Fourgs

Fromagerie des Fourgs

Dairy cooperative

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Producer Pontarlier

Fromagerie Badoz

Major artisanal cheese house

Fromagerie Badoz presents itself as a family-run cheesemaker and affineur, handed down from father to son since 1961. It collects milk daily, processing and maturing it in-house before marketing a range of Jura PDO (AOP) cheeses — Comté, Mont d'Or, and Morbier — as well as Cancoillotte PGI (IGP). It sells its produce in its shops in Pontarlier, Levier, and Les Fourgs.

Awards

Concours Général Agricole 2026

Paris

  • Cancoillotte aromatisée
  • Cancoillotte nature
Concours International de Lyon 2026

Lyon

  • Cancoillotte
Fromonval-France 2025

Mamirolle

  • Cancoillotte au vin
  • Cancoillotte nature
  • Cancoillotte aux aromates
  • Cancoillotte à l'ail
  • Cancoillotte à l'ail

Other products

Address1 Rue Denis Papin, 25300 Pontarlier, France
Phone03 81 39 80 20
Emailaccueil@fromagerie-badoz.com
Websitefromagerie-badoz.com
FacebookFacebook page
Instagram@fromageriebadoz
VisitsYes — shop open Monday to Saturday
Call Directions
Producer Valoreille

Fruitière de Valoreille-Fleurey

Dairy co-operative

According to the CIGC (Comité Interprofessionnel de Gestion du Comté), the Fruitière de Valoreille-Fleurey is located in the village of Valoreille, perched at an altitude of 750 m north of the Comté PDO (AOP) zone, overlooking the Dessoubre valley, renowned for fishing and its wild character. It brings together 18 member farmers and processes 5.3 million litres of milk a year, 90% of which is made into Comté PDO — matured by Maison Petite as well as, for a small share, on site — and 10% into Morbier PDO and raclette. 17 farms from the communes of Valoreille, Fleurey, and Terres-de-Chaux deliver their milk to it daily.

Its small shop offers Comté matured on site, homemade raw butter, homemade fromages blancs, homemade Morbier, Mont d'Or, cancoillotte, yoghurts, and a few soft cheeses; visits are possible by reservation. The shop is open all year round from 8:30 to 11:00. In September 2023, a 35-month Comté produced at the fruitière and matured in the Doubs was served at Versailles during the dinner marking the first official visit to France by King Charles III and Queen Camilla — 180 guests tasted it.

Other products

Address2 Rue de l'Église, 25190 Valoreille, France
Phone03 81 93 34 03
Emailjemonneret@orange.fr
Websitecomte.com
FacebookFacebook page
Instagram@valoreille_25190
VisitsYes — farm shop (matured Comté, raw butter, Morbier, Mont d'Or, cancoillotte)
Call Directions
All production is certified organic Producer Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon

BIODEAL SAS

Artisanal industry

Founded in 2000 in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, on the outskirts of Lyon, Biodéal was born of the vision of two entrepreneurs to build an entirely organic, French cheese and dairy supply chain at a time when most organic milk consumed in France was still imported. Twenty-five years on, the company works with partner livestock farmers and maturing cellars in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Franche-Comté, regions where more than 90% of its products are made.

Biodéal presents itself as the only producer of Gruyère France PGI (IGP) in an organic version, alongside a range that revisits great regional cheese classics under the Accord & Fromages brand — successor to R'Bio, marketed by Biodéal for twenty-five years — featuring Comté PDO (AOP), Saint-Nectaire fermier PDO, Ossau-Iraty, Brie, Fourme, and cancoillotte, all certified Agriculture Biologique. The company describes itself as the exclusive distributor of Vilactée, an organic mountain milk collected at altitudes between 600 and 1,200 metres in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and packaged within 30 km of collection, and also sells organic butter. Its products, sold in organic shops, supermarket organic aisles, and cheesemongers, are also exported to Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

Other products

Address43 Grande Rue, 69110 Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, France
Phone04 69 00 16 88
Emailinfo@biodeal.fr
Websitebiodeal.net
Euro-leaf, the EU organic farming logo All production is certified organic, since 2005.
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Producer Aboncourt-Gesincourt

Pâturages Comtois

Dairy cooperative

Pâturages Comtois is a dairy cooperative formed in 1985 from the merger of several small municipal cooperatives in Haute-Saône, which historically produced Emmental PGI (IGP) Grand Cru Label Rouge. It has since diversified its production into soft cheeses (bloomy rind and washed rind), metton for cancoillotte, and Gruyère de France PGI, whilst retaining its cooperative model: nearly one hundred member dairy farmers actively involved in adding value to their own milk.

The cooperative is organised into three production workshops: a soft cheese workshop and a cooked pressed cheese workshop in Aboncourt-Gesincourt, its historic site, and a cancoillotte workshop in Clerval, in the Doubs. Its Cancoillotte range includes several varieties — plain, garlic, vin jaune, and five-berry — including certified organic versions. A shop is open to the public on the Aboncourt-Gesincourt site.

Awards

Mondial du Fromage 2025

Mondial du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers · Tours

  • ×2 Cancoillotte
  • ×2 Cancoillotte
Fromonval-France 2025

Mamirolle

  • Cancoillotte aux aromates
  • Cancoillotte au vin
  • Cancoillotte nature
AddressRue de la Fromagerie, 70500 Aboncourt-Gesincourt, France
Phone03 84 68 70 41
Websitepaturagescomtois.com
VisitsYes — shop open Tuesday to Friday 10:00–13:00 / 15:00–19:00, Saturday 9:30–18:00
Call Directions
Part of the production is certified organic Producer Vieux-Charmont

Fromagerie Lehmann

Artisan manufacturer

Established since 2005 in the Allan business park, in Vieux-Charmont near Montbéliard, Fromagerie Lehmann perpetuates family know-how handed down since 1907, when the Lehmann family, originally from Switzerland, settled in the Doubs. For five generations, it has collected milk every day from local farms located within a radius of less than 20 km to produce its speciality, cancoillotte, as well as other Franche-Comté cheeses and dairy products.

The dairy offers its cancoillotte in 250 g pots and in several flavours, a product that has become a national trend echoed right across social media, alongside a range of pressed cheeses (Morbier, tommes, raclettes) and soft cheeses, as well as yoghurts, dessert creams, and other dairy items. Buoyed by this growing profile, the cheese dairy has made a name for itself beyond Franche-Comté thanks to its presence at the Eurockéennes de Belfort and the Montbéliard Christmas market. Its products can be found in shops, through distributors, and in supermarkets, but the Vieux-Charmont site, dedicated to manufacturing and logistics, offers no direct sales on site.

Awards

Concours International de Lyon 2026

Lyon

  • ×2 Cancoillotte
Fromonval-France 2025

Mamirolle

  • Cancoillotte aux aromates
AddressZA de l'Allan, 25600 Vieux-Charmont, France
Phone03 81 91 90 90
Websitefromagerie-lehmann.fr
VisitsNo — production site, no direct sales on site
Euro-leaf, the EU organic farming logo Part of the production is certified organic, since 2019.
Call Directions
Producer Les Fourgs

Fromagerie des Fourgs

Dairy cooperative

Perched at an altitude of over 1,100 metres in Les Fourgs, the village nicknamed the 'roof of the Doubs', the Fromagerie des Fourgs is a cooperative fruitière that has brought together eleven farms from the Haut-Doubs since 2017. Its shop, curiously housed in the same building as the town hall and the post office, allows visitors to observe the cheese-making workshop through large picture windows. Three Comté cheeses are crafted here — mild, high-altitude, and terroir —, complemented in season by Mont d'Or, as well as by neighbouring specialities: raclette, Münster Ermitage, Morbier, cancoillotte, and goat's cheeses.

The shop also offers a selection of regional produce — Jura wines, honeys, cured meats — to complete a mountain cheese board. The fromagerie's Mont d'Or won the silver medal at the Concours Général Agricole 2026, confirming the reputation of Haut-Doubs fruitières for this emblematic winter cheese. The shop is open all year round, from Monday to Saturday as well as Sunday mornings and public holidays.

Other products

Address2b Grande Rue, 25300 Les Fourgs, France
Phone03 81 39 54 24
Emailfruitiereletoitdudoubs25@gmail.com
FacebookFacebook page
VisitsYes — shop open, cheese-making workshop visible through large picture windows
Call Directions

Sources & references