The picker Virginie launches “Les syrups de Vivie”

Virginie Martinez moves closer to nature.

It was following a professional retraining that Virginie Martinez chose to embark on agricultural training, with the idea of ​​finding land to cultivate her own plants. But faced with difficulties, she decided to be a gatherer.

"I have no land. These are the people who agree to lend me fallow land,explains the Lodévoise. From Lieuran-Cabrières to the Auverne plateau to the Causse du Larzac, Virginie collects wild plants, thyme, rosemary, St. John's wort, daisies, small pansies, marigolds… and transforms them into the preparation of herbal teas, balms… Or in syrups made from thyme, verbena, rosemary with organic products (cinnamon and coffee syrup, blond sugar) which she bottles under the label "Les syrups de Vivie", company which she created in 2023.

From spring, she will store her products in a store in La Couvertoirade (Aveyron). "I would also like to sell directly on the markets and diversify my production by working with restaurateurs for example, adds the producer.

"It requires a lot of work to identify the plants, where they grow, when to harvest them, the time to drying, making syrups. That's a lot of time on the road." But there is demand, with customers looking for natural and original products.

"I have lots of other desires, creating balms, elixirs, I'm researching new techniques." With calm and determination, Vivie moves forward, as close as possible to nature, thus realizing a little girl's dream.

Correspondent Midi Libre: 06 31 85 56 57