They leave a life of executives in Provence to open an eco-friendly cottage in Loire-Atlantique

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Floriane and Jean-Charles Albert have just embarked on a new professional adventure.

He was an executive at GRDF and she was a logistics engineer.

They met in Paris, but their professional journey took them to Provence.

“Six years ago, we were in Aix-en-Provence. I grew up in Saint-Joachim and I missed La Brière terribly. We really wanted to come back to the region,” explains Jean-Charles, hunter, fisherman and gatherer.

“We wanted another way of living”

“We wanted another way of living, to stand on our own two feet, to have a vegetable garden, fruit trees, free-range chickens, to be able to make the most of healthy, seasonal products,” she emphasizes.

Looking for a suitable place to settle, they came across the Butte de Bombardant, as close as possible to the marsh, in the town of Saint-Lyphard (Loire-Atlantique).

“That was the trigger, the place totally met our criteria, but there was work to be done to rehabilitate the place with its cottages.”

However, Floriane moved there two years ago, even though there was still a lot to do to bring their project to fruition. She followed training to work as close as possible to nature, learning to recognize many little-known edible plants in Brière, as well as by the sea.

Cooking workshop, meeting room

And they carried out their work tirelessly, most often helped by friends. They created a gîte that can accommodate twelve people, and a very modular extension, which serves as both a kitchen workshop and a meeting room, thanks to its easily movable furniture.

“It’s nature that fascinates us and everything we can do with it. We want to discover everything edible around us. We want to share good times. We don’t pretend to do cooking classes, but to show what we can do with what we have nearby, by the sea or in Brière.”

The couple welcomes groups, businesses or others, for the day, from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. or half-day, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We were taken for crazy”

During the day, they sometimes have their work meeting early in the morning, then they head out to the sea to discover algae and other edible plants, but also shellfish.

And it’s preparation for the wild cooking workshop, on the way back. In the afternoon, it’s a trip to Brière from the port of Fossés Blancs, in the barge that Jean-Charles and his friends built, to rediscover nature, its fauna and its flora.

The couple also offers aperitif walks from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Friday and Sunday.

“At the beginning, we were thought to be crazy with this project, now, a little less,” he concludes.

Useful: Contact 06 18 47 03 93. Between salt and peat, 512, la Butte de Bombardant

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