The Summer Producers Market is a unanimous success every Tuesday

Plusieurs producteurs sont aussi présents au marché du samedi matin à Lodève Louise Gerbaud

Le Marché de Producteurs de Pays de Lodève, qui a repris depuis mai, propose chaque mardi de 16 à 19h jusqu’au 17 septembre des produits alimentaires variées et de saison pour la population locale désireuse de se nourrir en circuit court.

The sun is still shining brightly at the end of this afternoon in Lodève. On the Place de la République in front of the tourist office, a small group of people are busy setting up tables and crates filled with fresh and colorful products. As usual, the Lodève Country Producers Market is set up during the summer season every Tuesday from 4pm to 7pm until September 17.

The emphasis on the short circuit

« We are looking for a balance and a varied offer in terms of the proposals » says Hélène Durand, the facilitator of the craft and agricultural trade of Lodévois and Larzac. « We always try to have a little renewal in terms of offer » she continues.
The market, which has existed for almost thirty years, welcomes around ten producers from Lodévois and Larzac. « We are in this work of proximity with the people who produce on the territory, which completely allows to feed oneself in short circuit in Lodève » affirms the mayor of the city Gaëlle Lévêque.

A referent who supervises the organization

Christol Agnès, who works with her husband Alain to serve locals and tourists, is the market representative. She plays an important role in the organization: « I introduce the new arrivals and I make the link between the producers and the Chamber of Agriculture for example  ;» she explains.
Among the new arrivals this summer, we can note the winemaker Thibaut Denègre. Sitting at a high table alongside his three bottles of wine arranged for tasting, he testifies: « I work alone, by hand, and I have been developing organically since this year. I will soon be offering bottles of white wine. » It is in Usclas-du-Bosc and Loiras that he cultivates his vines.

A varied product offering

Recently, we also find cheesemaker Laeticia Chauchard who took over the Pégairolles-de-l’Escalette goat cheese farm in 2022. « I learned the know-how of traditional production after a year of internship with the former owners ». Behind his refrigerated display case, there are six varieties of pélardon, from the freshest to the driest.
A little further on, Christophe Maraval, mainly a saffron producer, has a stand with neatly aligned rows of olive oil, honey and jam. « I have multiple activities on my farm » he says. Alongside him, Timothy Anderson sells bread from the Borie Noble bakery in the Arche community, “we produce the flour with our mill”. Semi-wholemeal, spelt and cereal bread as well as brioches and pastries are on sale.

Producers who have been there since the beginning

And then we can find the oldest producers, such as Jacques Vellas in Soubès, Max Pelous in Saint-Etienne-de-Gourgas or Marc Hugounenq in Bosc who sell multiple seasonal fruits and vegetables.
As 7pm approaches, the stalls start to empty. Many of them can be found in the surrounding markets, such as those in Caylar or Saint-Étienne-de-Gourgas this summer.