What's in the French Foods Catalog
The French foods catalog covers six distinct categories, each sourced from producers in France. French cheese is the largest, with 60+ varieties spanning AOP-certified classics (Brie de Meaux, Camembert de Normandie, Comté, Roquefort) and regional specialties rarely seen outside France. French butter features the three flagship AOP producers — Isigny, Echire, and Le Gall (the butter with the distinctive blue package) — alongside beurre de baratte from traditional barrel churns. French cured meats and charcuterie include saucissons, rillettes, pâtés, and duck specialties from producers like Rougié, Dartagnan's French sources, and regional artisans.
French pantry staples cover Dijon mustards, vinaigrettes, sea salt from Guérande and Camargue, cornichons, olive oils, and specialty pantry imports. French sweets and confections include calissons from Provence, macarons, caramels from Brittany, nougat de Montélimar, and specialty chocolates. French pantry ingredients for cooking include canned French sardines, duck fat, foie gras, truffle products, and the specialty components French recipes actually call for. For the full butter sub-collection specifically, the French butter collection covers every brand and format in depth, and for the cheese sub-collection the French cheese collection covers the full 60+ varieties.
Regional Traditions from Normandy to Provence
Every major French food tradition ties back to a specific region, and the catalog reflects that geography. Normandy is dairy country — home of Isigny butter, Camembert de Normandie, and the apple-brandy tradition of Calvados. Brittany contributes Le Gall butter, salted caramels, and sea salt from the Atlantic coast. The Loire Valley and central France are cheese country, with goat-milk Crottin de Chavignol, Valençay, and Selles-sur-Cher. Burgundy and the Jura deliver Comté, Époisses (the washed-rind cheese nicknamed "the king of cheeses" by Brillat-Savarin), and Morbier.
Provence is the olive oil, herbes de Provence, and calisson tradition, along with the tapenades and anchovy preparations of the Mediterranean coast. Lyon and the Rhône contribute charcuterie traditions — saucisson sec, rosette de Lyon, and traditional cured pork. The Pyrenees and Basque country produce Ossau-Iraty sheep's milk cheese and Bayonne ham. Paris itself supplies the épicerie brands — Fauchon, Maille, and the specialty condiments that anchor French cooking. Shopping by region rather than by category is how serious French cooks and French food lovers actually think about the catalog. The catalog organizes by product type for browsing ease, but the producer names identify the region for anyone who wants to shop by origin.
French Food as a Gift
French gourmet food is among the strongest gift categories for several reasons: nearly universal recognition, clear luxury positioning, and the presentation value of authentic French imports. For an individual gift recipient, a French cheese and charcuterie assortment arrives as a complete tasting experience with pairings already matched. For gift-givers sending to someone known to love French food specifically, a Fauchon pantry selection, a French cheese sampler, or a butter gift set from Echire communicates attention to detail. For Francophile households, assortment boxes spanning cheese, pantry, and sweets provide breadth. For corporate gifting, French gift boxes are a reliable choice across client relationships — French cuisine carries universal positive associations without requiring the recipient to be a specific kind of food enthusiast.
All French gift items can be scheduled for specific delivery dates at checkout, which matters for holiday gifting and occasion-based shipping. Gift messages and display-ready packaging are available at checkout. For dedicated gift formats that bundle French products together in presentation boxes, the French gift boxes collection covers gift-ready sets across every price point from entry-level samplers to elaborate cheese-and-wine pairing gifts.
Sourcing and Direct Import
Igourmet has been importing French food to the United States since 1997, working directly with French producers wherever possible rather than through intermediate distributors. That direct-import model is the difference between authentic French products and American approximations marketed as "French-style." An Isigny butter or Echire butter sold by igourmet is the same butter sold in Paris épiceries. A Rougié foie gras or a Fauchon pantry item is the same product carried in specialty French food stores in France. Every perishable French product ships in temperature-controlled packaging with insulated liners and frozen gel packs to maintain refrigeration in transit, and shelf-stable items ship via expedited service. Delivery can be scheduled for specific dates at checkout for both gift orders and home delivery timing.
Also Worth Exploring
For the full range of pantry staples beyond French sources — Italian olive oils, Spanish vinegars, and specialty pantry imports from across Europe — the French pantry staples collection covers the core French cooking ingredients in depth. For tasting-set entertaining that features French cheese alongside other traditions, the cheese assortments collection covers French-focused and multi-country sets sized for 2 to 20 guests. For corporate gifting programs involving French imports, volume ordering, and multi-recipient shipping, the corporate gifts program handles executive-level and business client appreciation at scale.
French Gourmet Foods: Frequently Asked Questions
Igourmet has been shipping imported French food across the United States since 1997, working directly with French producers to bring authentic AOP-certified cheese, butter, charcuterie, pantry staples, sweets, and specialty ingredients to US households. The catalog covers the full breadth of French cuisine — over 60 French cheeses including rare AOP classics, the three flagship French butter brands (Isigny, Echire, Le Gall), traditional French charcuterie and pâtés, Fauchon and Maille pantry products, French sweets from Provence to Brittany, and specialty ingredients like duck fat, foie gras, canned French sardines, and truffle products. Delivery covers all 50 states with temperature-controlled shipping for perishable items, expedited shipping for shelf-stable products, and scheduled delivery dates for holiday gifting and event-based ordering. This is one of the deepest direct-to-consumer French food catalogs operating in the US market.
Across the catalog, igourmet carries many of the most recognized French producer brands. For butter: Isigny (Normandy, AOP-certified), Echire (western France, AOP, used at French Laundry and many Michelin-starred kitchens), Le Gall (Brittany, the butter with the distinctive blue package), President, and Terroirs d'Antan. For cheese: the full range of AOP producers for Brie de Meaux, Camembert de Normandie, Comté, Roquefort, and regional specialties sourced from smaller traditional fromageries. For pantry: Fauchon (the Paris épicerie), Maille (Dijon mustard), and regional specialty brands for olive oil, vinaigrette, and preserved specialties. For charcuterie and specialty meats: Rougié (foie gras and duck products), traditional French saucisson producers, and small-batch pâté specialists. The emphasis is on direct-import authenticity rather than French-adjacent products manufactured in the US.
The distinctive orange-colored French cheese is Mimolette, a hard cow's milk cheese from the Lille region of northern France. Its deep orange color comes from annatto, a natural food coloring derived from achiote seeds, added to the milk during production. Mimolette was originally developed in the 17th century to provide a French alternative to Dutch Edam, which is why the cheese bears visual similarity to Edam but with a darker, more saturated hue. As Mimolette ages, the interior becomes more pronounced in color and the flavor shifts from mild and nutty (young, aged 2-3 months) to deep, crystalline, and almost caramel-like (extra-aged, 18-24+ months). The rind is notable for being developed in part by microscopic cheese mites, which give it a distinctive pitted, gray-brown appearance. In 2013, the US FDA temporarily restricted Mimolette imports over concerns about these mites, though the cheese has since returned to the American market. Extra-aged Mimolette pairs particularly well with aged port, stout beers, or bold red wines.
Yes. French food is among the most giftable categories in the specialty food space because of its universal recognition, clear luxury positioning, and authentic presentation value. Every product in the French foods catalog can be sent as a gift with gift messages and display-ready packaging available at checkout. For dedicated gift formats, the French gift boxes collection provides pre-curated presentations combining cheese, charcuterie, butter, pantry items, or sweets in display-ready boxes across price points from entry-level samplers to elaborate multi-category combinations. Delivery can be scheduled for a specific date at checkout, which is essential for holiday gifting, birthdays, anniversaries, and corporate occasions where arrival timing matters. For multi-recipient corporate gifting, volume ordering, and personalized account management, igourmet operates a dedicated corporate gifts program. All perishable French items ship in temperature-controlled packaging with insulated liners and frozen gel packs.
Refrigerated and perishable French products — cheese, butter, charcuterie, pâtés, fresh products — ship via expedited overnight or two-day service in temperature-controlled packaging. Each shipment includes insulated Tempguard liners, non-toxic frozen gel packs, and dry ice when seasonal temperatures require additional cooling. Standard ground shipping is never used for perishables. Shelf-stable French products like pantry items, sweets, preserved goods, and non-refrigerated ingredients ship via expedited service and typically arrive within 3 to 5 business days. Orders ship Tuesday through Friday for perishable items to avoid weekend carrier warehouse time, and orders can be scheduled for specific delivery dates at checkout. For recipients in extreme weather regions during peak heat or cold, igourmet's customer service team coordinates shipping timing to ensure product quality on arrival. Full shipping logistics, delivery windows, and temperature-control specifications are detailed on igourmet's shipping information page.