Many tourists flock to France to tuck into authentic cheese, pastries and baguettes, but another food has entered the scene.
Wealthy visitors have increasingly been buying luxury, artisan butter to take home and impress their friends.
The simple yet popular food item has become so in-demand that makers who specialise in the dairy product are struggling to keep up.
Maison Bordier has proved to be a particular favourite and its often priced at €5.85 (£5) for 125g in shops.
Julie Sugliani, product manager at Bordier revealed how ‘surprised’ the company were by the interest and that it was ‘impossible’ to meet the high demand.
High-end Parisian food store La Grande Épicerie saw a 300 per cent surge in butter sales between 2023 and 2024, and sold a whopping 19 tonnes last year alone.
Other luxurious shops like Lafayette Gourmet have seen similar rises in sales too.
Holidaymakers from the United States and Japan seem to be the biggest buyers, with the product costing much more back in their home countries, The Times reports.
The same 125g of Bordier sold in France reportedly goes for $12 (£9) at a Beverly Hills cheese store, with other variants priced even higher.
Bordier is made with milk from cows that graze in Brittany and Normandy fields, as well as in Pays-de-la-Loire.
The artisan company only produces a limited amount of butter and employs just 100 people.
It offers a range of flavours, including classics like unsalted and semi-salted, and every bar is hand made in a workshop in Noyal-sur-Vilaine.
But what has caused the dramatic interest in France’s finest butters?
It’s thought the trend kicked off back in 2024, after the Olympics were hosted in Paris, with several videos on social media sharing the good quality product.
Clémence Le Tannou, purchasing manager at La Grande Épicerie, told Le Parisien: ‘We’ve seen this trend since the Paris 2024 Olympics.
‘We still don’t know how to explain it — probably a TikTok video that went viral.’
American traveller, Gabrielle Meloff (@gabriellemeloff) posted a video on TikTok, back in 2024, demonstrating the wide selection of Le Beurre Bordier butters available in La Grande Épicerie.
She revealed the butter comes in a range of flavours, including smoked salt and Madagascar vanilla.
She added: ‘While the butter is a bit pricey at four to six euros, it was definitely worth it as a butter fan.’
Natalie urged others to purchase some to take home, explaining ‘if you’re travelling, they will vacuum seal the butter for you, for just one additional euro’.
Another video, posted by @chzgal, was similar but this time the American purchased blocks of Maison Bordier.
It attracted over 30,000 likes and hundreds of comments from butter enthusiasts.