A creamy butter, with a slight taste of salt, due to the proximity of the sea… The reputation of Surgères PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) butter goes far beyond the borders of our region.
A must in local gastronomy, it is very popular as an aperitif, accompanied by a slice of bread, a dry white from the Charentais region and Marennes-Oléron oysters!
For the little story...
We can hardly imagine it today, but the surroundings of Surgères have long been covered with vines. Vineyards and distillery then made the prosperity of the city. Unfortunately, in the 1880s, phylloxera destroyed the vineyards and a conversion to livestock farming must quickly see the light of day. Mr Eugène Biraud created the first dairy cooperative in 1888 in Chaillé, north-east of Surgères, in a former distillery. Farmers can thus transform their milk into butter and develop its marketing to Paris thanks to the rail link. Surgères butter, benefiting from an AOP appellation, remains the best known of the “Charentes-Poitou” butters!

Where can you find Surgères butter?
You can obviously find it at the Surgères market, which takes place three times a week, but also at the Enilia school store (National School of Dairy Industry and Food Industries) where the butter is made by the students. It is also available in many shops and supermarkets in the region.

Our cheeses and local products
As you will have understood, in Surgères, butter is king. But dairy products of all kinds are growing on farms and are to be enjoyed without moderation, especially fresh and tasty cheeses! At the market and from our producers, you can find local goat cheeses, or even jonchée, a fresh cow's cheese which owes its name to the streaks left by the rushes with which it is made. It is also possible to find creams, yogurts and other dairy products directly on the farm, such as at the Ferme du Bois des Moines or at the Vache Charentaise.
The opinion of the local counter
We take advantage of the visits to the farm offered during the summer to discover these delicious products, very local. We feel the joy of the little ones to approach the farm animals and we enjoy the good products of our terroirs!
