The Raspaillou sector celebrates in Gard its 15 years of love for flour and good organic bread

A meeting held at Bégude Poulon, in Vers-Pont-du-Gard. Midi Libre – Correspondent

Un anniversaire fêté comme il se doit, en bonne compagnie. Midi Libre – Correspondant

The qualities of Raspaillou celebrated. Midi Libre – Correspondent

Jean-Louis Poulon, agriculteur ; Christophe Hardy, président de l’Union des maîtres artisans boulangers du Gard et Jean-Marc Tourel, boulanger en retraite. Midi Libre – Correspondant

La filière Raspaillou, qui œuvre à la fabrication et à la promotion de blé, de farine et de pain bio, vient de célébrer son quinzième anniversaire.

It was at Bégude Poulon, in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, that Civama celebrated this week the fifteenth anniversary of the Raspaillou sector, working over all these years to manufacture and promote wheat, organic flour and bread.

A reflection on organic matter

Nearly fifty participants came for this afternoon organized in three parts: a historical reminder, an update on the current situation and a guided tour of a wheat plot organic. Among those present, we could recognize, in addition to the members of the organization, Cathy Chaulet, departmental advisor; Fabrice Verdier, regional advisor; Myriam Callet and Annie Della-Schiava, deputy mayors of Vers.

Also very surrounded, the three initiators of the sector: Jean-Louis Poulon, farmer; Jean-Marc Tourel, retired baker and Christophe Hardy, the current president of the Union of master craftsman bakers of Gard. It is, in fact, to their thoughts on possible management of organic wheat that we owe the creation, in 2008, of the association "BioCéréa’Gard& ;quot; grouping, today, around 16 farmers, including 14 from Gardois who collectively manage the storage and marketing of their wheat.

Adopting the cultivation of soft wheat

Jean-Louis Coulon likes to recall "the place that had to be conquered to adopt the cultivation of soft wheat and the installation of an organic sector with outlets at the time still uncertain, which made people shy support for agricultural cooperatives. Over time, the sector has been able, little by little, to demonstrate its advantages, essentially those of local production in a short circuit which allows, and this is not negligible, to maintain good price stability. quot;.

In 2009, with the help of the Gard departmental council and with the support of Umab bakers, Raspaillou bread was officially launched and offered to consumers in Gard. Later, it appeared essential to integrate a mill and bakers into the project and in 2014 the Raspaillou association was formed bringing together organic farmers, the Moulin Sauret de Montpellier and artisanal bakers using flour and selling Raspaillou bread. Today, the sector regularly analyzes its evolution and the choices imposed on it by climatic variations, changes in consumption habits and certain market fluctuations. Wheat production is increasing, today reaching 500 tonnes.

Significant costs

The number of bakers who work at Raspaillou is increasing and could be more so if, as Christophe Hardy declares: &quot ;Certain costs linked to this organic choice could decrease, such as that of organic certification which today reaches more than 1 000 €."

Finally, after the presentation of the new logo of the sector, a majority of participants recognized the need to develop support for public orders and insisted that communication be intensified between the players in the sector but above all with the population, sometimes still in ignorance of the existence of the sector and its products. As the theoretical part of the afternoon came to an end, Jean-Louis Poulon took the whole group to a plot of organic wheat. The questions abounded, all finding clear and precise answers.

Then came the convivial moment of tasting Raspaillou and the time to develop new projects.