PRODUCER & TERROIR
A FAMILY FARM JUST OUTSIDE ANGERS
Since 1993, François and his family have been growing apples and pears in Montreuil-sur-Maine and Tuffalun in a way that combines environmentalism with expertise. Their 144 hectares of orchards are grown using innovative techniques (including ecological agricultural methods across 48 hectares), and François is absolutely committed to forward-looking farming.
Nature teaches us to be humble, producing beautiful, tasty apples every season is a victory to be celebrated
Apple farmer at the forefront of agroecology
TERROIR
Our Opal apples come from Maine-et-Loire, which produces more apples than any other region in France because its terroir and climate are very favorable to them. Lots of apple varieties have emerged from here as a result.
GROWING TECHNIQUES
ETHICAL CULTIVATION TO HELP BIODIVERSITY FLOURISH
Francis has known since the early 2000s that it is no longer feasible to keep growing using “modern”, overly intensive methods that destroy flora and fauna. He believes that “we have run into a dead end where we are cultivating the soil without letting it live”. He decided to adopt techniques that were friendlier to the environment and biodiversity.
It was with this in mind that he planted flowering hedges, limited the amount of human input into the orchard and covered the ground between each tree to encourage companion plants to grow and offer his orchard natural protection. He has also committed to protecting the soil by stopping plowing and limiting weed-killer use.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ACTION
A STRATEGY WHICH HAS BORNE FRUIT
François shares a lot of his values with Adamance and points out that, “in fact, the ideas that appeal to us most are the ones that sound like common sense”. All the actions François has taken have resulted in more consistent crops, better soil fertility, hardier trees, and reintroduced and renewed biodiversity (especially earthworms, insects and wild animals). But François does not want to stop there, and he plans to train aspiring farmers in agroecology so that they can make better, faster progress towards a brighter future.
