In Faugères, “L’Arbre à pains” is a family bakery that aims for sustainable development

Boris and Pierre joined their father Denis in the family bakery. Free Midi – RENE FERRANDO

Bakeries are an essential business for communities. "Midi Libre" invites you to discover some of them during the month of January. Fifth step, "The Bread Tree" in Faugères where Boris and Pierre joined their father, Denis, to continue the family adventure in the bakery. Opened five years ago, the brand is certified organic and distributes its products over a wide area extending from Balaruc-les-Bains to Saint-Chinian, from Bédarieux to Lodève without forgetting Béziers.

In the Degand family, we are bakers from father to son. Denis and his sons, Boris and Pierre, created L'Arbre à pains five years ago in Faugères. "It's our father who trained us on the job in Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare where he ran an old-fashioned bakery", emphasizes Boris. In the Hauts-Cantons, Denis Degand launched into sourdough bread well before his time. "My father produced, my mother did the markets or delivered to customers", adds Boris. The two brothers have always believed in the profession "but much less in the sales process. We said to ourselves, Ok, we can get started together but in a more relaxed manner, in a busy environment. D909 and the Pézenas road. This is where they opened their bakery. For Boris and Pierre, it's the big professional gap. The first puts aside his master's degree in international business, the second his training as a landscaper and carpenter. Everyone gathers around the mess.

"The bread tree, it's the meeting place for people"

"We opened during the Yellow Vest period then there was the Covid pandemic. During this period, we were never closed. The bakery was a place where people vented their anxieties, Boris says. We serve between 100 and 150 customers per day. The breadfruit tree is where people meet, we meet there, we talk. But we come here above all for the quality of the bread and other products. Indeed, the Degand family makes it a point of honor to work with local flours obtained after crushing the wheat on millstones, at n' ;#39;use only sourdough. "My father is the creator of the bakery. He's the one who created all the recipes, he's the technician. My brother, who is very meticulous, takes care of the pastries and the bakery. I am aware that having good products is essential. We want to respect nature, to have an economically viable business. We aim for sustainable development."

Relaunch of Lacaune bearded wheat

This state of mind pushed the Degands to respond to the call, launched in 2020, by the Haut-Languedoc Regional Natural Park. That year, the structure wanted to save Lacaune bearded wheat, a variety which almost disappeared during the 20th century. The bakers of Faugères join other colleagues, farmers, millers. Everyone developed a local production charter so that the bearded Lacaune, crushed on a stone mill, produces flour used in the making of bread. The Degand family bakery uses between 200 and 250 kg per month.

A certified organic bakery

Another ace up the Degands’ sleeve: organic. "We are labeled organic and certified by Ecocert. We have traceability of everything that enters and leaves, explains Boris. We work with many organic brands. These are people who need to be certified." In addition to the store which represents 60% of turnover, the Degands also deliver their production to partner stores: from Balaruc-les-Bains to Saint-Chinian, from Bédarieux to Lodève. "Our biggest customer is Biocoop in Béziers, emphasizes Boris. People discover us in the stores that we supply and they finally come to Faugères. There, we benefit from the road traffic. It brings us a lot of people." A clientele that the Degand family pampers. "I think you need to have interaction with customers, outside people. I find that the craftsmen are caught up in their work and that side of things is a bit off, notes Boris, whose commercial spirit is still present. 

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