In Melay (Maine-et-Loire), at the foot of the martyrs’ cross, everyone knows the Old Man. With its august seat and great stark arms that defy the sky, this old chestnut tree has been around for 500 years. In the past, the bocage of Mauges and Vendée was covered with these trees, providing black chestnuts. According to legend, its fruits even served as emergency food for starving populations during the Vendée wars.
When he arrived in Chemillé-en-Anjou in 2018, Benoît Huntzinger, now 46 years old, was not aware of all this. He had not even seen the five old chestnut trees that line the bridle path of his farm. This neo-rural man with the shoulders of a lumberjack, graduated from the agricultural school in Beauvais (Oise) in 1999, until then had only known the banking environment. In Brittany, it launched financing plans for farmers and agri-food companies. Until the call of the land imposed itself on him and his wife Marine.
The Blottières farm, located in a green setting in the heart of the Bocage countryside, immediately caught their attention. It had been organic for thirty years and its owners sold their meat directly to Paris. The Huntzingers, passionate about local history and heritage, have just added Nantes cows to the limousine herd and imported Belle-Ile sheep, an endangered variety, to the surrounding grasslands.
“Free resources”
Of the one hundred hectares of the farm, seventy-five are covered with lush meadows where these ruminants graze peacefully. The rest is planted in spelled, small and large, and in lentils, which Benoît and Marine Huntzinger themselves market in various forms. The couple took their curiosity further and contacted the Arbre network (Farmers respectful of biodiversity and the riches of the environment) to establish a biodiversity diagnosis of their farm. The technician highlighted the presence of wild garlic and black chestnuts on the property. A revelation.
“We want to base the economic model on diversified production that values all the wealth that is made available to us”explain these “NIMA” (not from the agricultural sector), to use a common acronym in the field. The first 80 kilos of black chestnuts collected ended up in cream and the garlic garlic in pesto. The customers loved it.
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