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 occupation and for the almonds which he takes the best care of. 

Hervé provides many Relais Desserts pastry cooks, corresponding to Eric Escobar, primarily based 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 bushes 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 one in all France’s oldest almond growers. 

Reviving an age-old custom 

Almond of Provence is an genuine regional custom that dates again centuries. Nonetheless, it nearly utterly 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 decreased 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 bushes 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 remarkable 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. Because of new almond bushes, Lavam’din is now producing as much as 20 tonnes of dried fruit per 12 months. This was not a simple problem, given the large manufacturing and importation of almonds from California. However because of his arduous 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 might probably produce the easiest almonds. He subsequently spends the winter pruning and sustaining his bushes, earlier than the flowers bloom in mid-March. Spring pollination then provides delivery to the primary fruits, which can proceed to ripen all through the summer time months. The harvest begins at the tip of August and lasts a number of weeks. Subsequent, the almonds are cleaned and dried. Lastly, they’re damaged and sorted originally of October. 

© Hervé Lauzier 

This meticulous course of ensures top-quality almonds that fulfill essentially the most demanding professionals. 

Seeking to the longer term 

Sadly, in 2018, violent hails severely broken the almond bushes. Decimated by a fungal illness, the almond manufacturing declined to lower than ten tonnes a 12 months. 

Nevertheless, Hervé Lauzier by no means provides up. For a number of years now, he has been engaged on reorganising his orchard and occupied with introducing new varieties. 

© Hervé Lauzier 

In the present day, the manufacturing of Lavam’din extends over 27 hectares, with 5 varieties of almonds: Lauranne, Bovera, Mandaline, Ferragnès et Antonietta. The almond grower works nearly solely with professionals, chocolate makers and restaurant homeowners. 

You’ll be able to 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 immediately 90% of his manufacturing in uncooked almonds, he’s actively engaged in creating new merchandise, together with pralines and almond lotions. 

With local weather adjustments and fixed upheaval in manufacturing requirements, Hervé Lauzier stays eager for the longer term by devoting himself to a brand new ardour: poetry. These poems are his means 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.]