Lotoise lavender regains its scents of yesteryear. Five breeders join forces and now produce 300 kg of oil per year. Their new distillery in Quissac marks a key step for this resurgent sector.
In the middle of the causse, the lavender fields are gaining ground and offering new colors to Lotois agriculture. Since 2018, five farmers, all sheep breeders based in the heart of the department, between Quissac, Blars, Soulomès and Lauzès, have been working to revive a culture which had disappeared from the Lot. “In the 1920s, there were a dozen distilleries in the department which produced 10% of essential oils. We said to ourselves that we had to think about resuming this production. Some had already started at Rocamadour and also south of the Lot near Lauzerte. We started with perfume plants, especially lavender,” remembers Christophe Lompuech, who has a farm in Quissac.
“We produce around 300 kg of lavender oil, the first one we made 8”
With Sébastien and Jean-Christophe Pons, Philippe Vigeon and Bruno Alayrac, he embarked on the adventure with enthusiasm. “We were looking to develop a complementary activity to have something other than livestock on our farms. We are in an area where we could not launch just any crop. We started by planting one hectare, then quickly everyone planted one or two on their plots.” The Lotois collective was structured from 2018 and founded the SARL nicely titled Les Bergers des Lavandes. After a period of reflection, the Lotois took the plunge. “We were accompanied by Adefpat, the CER du Lot and a former technician from Drôme at the beginning. We always had the desire to master everything from A to Z. We went to Provence to look for perfume plant plants, we tried several varieties of thyme, rosemary and especially lavender.” The first planting starts on January 2, 2019 and the first harvest takes place in July. Even if the Covid period slows down farmers in their momentum, they remain united and convinced by their common project. “We produce around 300 kg of lavender oil, the first year we made 8. The limestone limestone soil is draining. We meet a lot of conditions here for lavender, which resists drought and cold very well too. The first two years, you have to be careful with the grass, but we have a little extra at home since we use our sheep. They don’t eat the lavender and don’t trample the plants.” Â.
A 7th open day Saturday June 27
In seven years, the little idea has come a long way. “It’s a strength to be a group. Each farm manages the soil. We give each other a helping hand with planting and harvesting. Today, we manage everything up to marketing”, underlines Christophe Lompuech. With almost a hundred hectares planted today, the production of Bergers des Lavandes is enjoying great momentum. It has just reached a new stage with the development of a distillery based in Quissac. “Before, we went to distill at the Ferme des Alix in Rocamadour and we came back with our oil. This year, after the harvest in July, we will inaugurate our distillery. This is an important step, because we will produce a 100% Bergers des Lavandes oil.” Marketed in a few shops in the Lot and on sale in certain nearby markets, this Lotoise oil goes mainly to Provence, where it is of interest to large cooperatives. This year, the Lotois operators even signed for the first time a sales contract which will allow them to sell all their production. Like every year, a large open day on one of the farms is organized by the Bergers des Lavandes. This year, it is planned for this Saturday, June 27 in Quissac with many activities on the program (1) (bike ride, walk in the lavender fields in the morning and a meal followed by a concert in evening) and the discovery of the new distillery.
Already, the Lotois group is seeing new projects flourish. “We are in the process of replanting plots to renew the oldest ones and continue to develop. We want to continue by always pooling, we need to create a sector and make ourselves known in the Lot. We have held trade fairs in Toulouse, in Paris. It’s a long-term job to one day perhaps be able to make a name for ourselves. recognize.” A new history of territory which takes root in the heart of the Lot.
Also read:
Lavender in addition to vines: Lot winegrowers seek to reinvent themselves
Also read:
From meadows to lavender, they create a nursery to supply the Lot sector of aromatic plants
Also read:
In Rocamadour, the Alix farm makes lavender bloom again on the Quercy causses
