On the Relais Desserts Excellence Prizes ceremony on 3 November 2024, Hervé Lauzier was awarded the Distinctive Craftsman prize.
We’re delighted to share with you his ardour for his farming career and for the almonds which he takes the best care of.
Hervé provides many Relais Desserts pastry cooks, similar to Eric Escobar, based mostly in Montélimar, who shares with us his recipe for nougat, the area’s emblematic confectionery.
© Hervé Lauzier
For over 30 years, Hervé Lauzier has been cultivating his almond timber with ardour within the coronary heart of the Drôme, close to Montélimar. Winner of the Relais Desserts Distinctive Craftsman Excellence Prize in 2024, he has helped Provençal almond rising rise from the ashes.
Let’s have a look again on the historical past of certainly one of France’s oldest almond growers.
Reviving an age-old custom
Almond of Provence is an genuine regional custom that dates again centuries. Nonetheless, it virtually fully disappeared after the historic frost of 1956.
Along with the horrible harm provoked by the chilly, the modernisation of agriculture and the agricultural exodus additionally affected the area on the similar time. These elements drastically diminished almond manufacturing within the area.
However within the Eighties, some loopy individuals (fadas in French), as Hervé Lauzier describes himself, determined to revive almond rising within the Drôme. After fastidiously deciding on almond varieties for his or her style high quality, he then planted his first almond timber in 1988. At the moment, he began with simply 3 hectares of orchards. However he already had an thought in thoughts: to provide almonds of outstanding high quality.
© Hervé Lauzier
Almonds grown with care and fervour
In 2003, Hervé Lauzier determined to go away the cooperative he had been a part of till then to develop his personal enterprise. Due to new almond timber, Lavam’din is now producing as much as 20 tonnes of dried fruit per yr. This was not a straightforward problem, given the huge manufacturing and importation of almonds from California. However because of his laborious work and know-how, Hervé Lauzier managed to differentiate himself by the high quality of his dried fruit and his dedication to it.
This craftsman considers that it’s important to respect the life cycle of the plant in order that it will possibly produce the perfect almonds. He subsequently spends the winter pruning and sustaining his timber, earlier than the flowers bloom in mid-March. Spring pollination then provides delivery to the primary fruits, which is able to proceed to ripen all through the summer season months. The harvest begins at the top of August and lasts a number of weeks. Subsequent, the almonds are cleaned and dried. Lastly, they’re damaged and sorted at the start of October.
© Hervé Lauzier
This meticulous course of ensures top-quality almonds that fulfill essentially the most demanding professionals.
Trying to the long run
Sadly, in 2018, violent hails severely broken the almond timber. Decimated by a fungal illness, the almond manufacturing declined to lower than ten tonnes a yr.
Nevertheless, Hervé Lauzier by no means provides up. For a number of years now, he has been engaged on reorganising his orchard and fascinated by introducing new varieties.
© Hervé Lauzier
Right now, the manufacturing of Lavam’din extends over 27 hectares, with 5 varieties of almonds: Lauranne, Bovera, Mandaline, Ferragnès et Antonietta. The almond grower works virtually completely with professionals, chocolate makers and restaurant homeowners.
You possibly can style his almonds within the recipes of Éric Escobar and Luc Guillet, or within the pastries of Pierre Hubert and Olivier Buisson.
Click on right here to find Eric Escobar’s recipe for Nougat of Montélimar.
As well as, whereas Hervé Lauzier sells at the moment 90% of his manufacturing in uncooked almonds, he’s actively engaged in growing new merchandise, together with pralines and almond lotions.
With local weather adjustments and fixed upheaval in manufacturing requirements, Hervé Lauzier stays eager for the long run by devoting himself to a brand new ardour: poetry. These poems are his method of sharing his love of almonds.
Dragées en fête
[The life cycle of sugared almonds]
Petite amande sur ma branche perchée
[I’m a small almond perched on a branch.]
Il y a peu, bourgeon j’étais.
[Not so long ago, I was a bud.]
Puis la fleur et l’abeille se sont rencontrées,
[When the flower met the bee,]
Et d’elles, un petit fruit est né.
[A little fruit was born.]
Arrosée, bichonnée,
[Watered and pampered,]
J’arrive à la fin de l’été.
[I reach maturity at the end of summer.]
Quel est ce bruit d’enfer,
[Oh, what is that strange noise?]
Accompagné de fumée et de fer ?
[With all that smoke and iron?]
Mon arbre est tout secoué.
[All my house is shaking.]
