OUR HISTORY
1936
THE PYGAY FAMILY BUSINESS
Our story begins with a butcher whose passion and expertise leads him to produce cooked and dried meats that become well-known in the region and all the way to Paris. The meats are sold under the brand names Pygay and Père Baptiste.
1994
BIRTH OF
LE BATISTOU
The Druguet family takes over the business and refocuses on producing sausages and superior-quality dried meat. The Le Bastistou brand is born.
2011
NEW ADVENTURES
Patrick Richaud took over the company, drawn to the exceptional taste and reputation of Le Batistou products. He maintained the company’s human-scale approach, preserving its spirit of enthusiasm, shared values, and high standards of quality and customer proximity.
2017
Les Salaisons Bernard became part of Le Batistou family.
Located in La Forienear Ambert, this small, family-run charcuterie, with 10 employees, specializes in traditional craftsmanship. This acquisition allowed Le Batistouto expand its expertise and product range, including PGI Auvergne sausages.
TODAY
Le Batistoujourney continues with over 60 employees ! Our 15 field sales representatives maintain direct relationships with nearly 1 500 shops across France. We have successfully expanded internationally, establishing Le Batistouin Canada, Belgium, and soon, other European markets.
MEDALS
Traditional and gourmet products Le Batistou and Salaisons Bernard get medal from the General Agricultural Competition every year!
COMMITTED MEN
Le Batistou and Salaisons Bernard are awarded CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) by PME+ certification since January 2025 ! PME+ is a certification that recognizes French companies that contribute to local employment, regional development, and environmental sustainability. Our actions reflect a strong commitment to building a more responsible and sustainable world!
*This label is awarded after an annual inspection by Ecocertenvironnement, an independent certification body.
Le Batistou has forged its personality on the strength of its region’s identity. Located in Saint-André-le-Puy in the plains of Le Forez (Note: the Z is silent!) in Loire, France, Le Batistou lies at the heart of the Massif Central, on the border of Auvergne between Saint-Etienne to the south, Monts du Forez to the west and Monts du Lyonnais to the east. This is the home of salt curing.
Le Batistou combines the qualities of the highland region with its artisanal knowledge to create products as unique as the Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne region they come from.
Since 2017, Les Salaisons Bernard has joined Le Batistou adventure. Located in La Forie in the heart of Auvergne, near Ambert, famous for its fourme blue cheese and its Round Town Hall, this small family-run charcuterie, with 10 employees, specializes in traditional craftsmanship.
Created by Lucien and Marinette Bernard, it was first of all a small butcher's shop that opened in the village. Its reputation quickly exceeded the limits of the canton. At the end of the 1950s, their son Eugène joined Établissements Bernard which expanded into a new, more modern store and laboratory-workshop. In 1978, the curing activity was developed in a dedicated and modernized building in order to produce sausages, rosettes, jesus and other filet mignons. These are the workshops which still house Le Salaisons Bernard today. The carcasses of the pigs from Yssingeaux are boned and prepared by our butchers, so that the fresh meat can be used to make the product. The sausages are hand-tied and matured in wooden drying sheds where the natural flower (the same one used to mature the famous PDO fourme d'Ambert blue cheese) develops very slowly to give the best flavour to the products.
This acquisition allowed Le Batistou to expand its expertise and product range with PGI Auvergne sausages.
All About People
Founded by an artisan butcher many decades ago, then taken over by a family and then by two friends, Le Batistou has clearly always been about people.
Meat specialists
The men and women of Le Batistou have always been meat specialists who know how to recognize the excellence of each cut of meat and how to treat hams and sausages with all the care they deserve.
Passionate men
The butchers at Le Bastistou love their products and know how to get the best out of meat, spices and natural flavors, to offer supreme-quality products adored by amateurs and connoisseurs alike.
sharing and transmission
Le Batistou cares about its people. That is why we work hard to pass on our passion, expertise and high standards to the next generation, to ensure the longevity of Le Batistou products, the source of French cooking traditions.