Local and natural production of CBD is trying to find a place in the Somme

In 2022, 17% of French people had already consumed CBD. This rapidly expanding market is attracting more and more consumers and producers who are trying to find a place for themselves. In the Somme, a company has chosen to move away from synthetics and cultivate plants naturally.

With almost “300%” increase in demand, CBD is on the rise in France. Its local production is booming in the region, particularly in the Somme, and is attracting more and more consumers.

However, nothing really suggested that the department would be a land of cultivation of this plant. “When the markets opened in France, a lot of products came first from Switzerland, then from Italy and Spain”explains Edouard Feraux, co-founder of the company, before adding: “we have always wanted to resist and affirm that it was possible to produce in France and to produce locally”.

The traceability of the product is therefore guaranteed when we know that, according to a MILDECA study, 14% of products exceed the THC limit and almost 6% contain other substances.

This is why the beginnings were difficult. “We were facing unfair competition with varieties that were totally different, French hemp is not necessarily a product that attracted consumers, the prices charged were different”he continues.

But since “a year, a year and a half”he and his colleagues feel a greater interest in short circuits and local production. “They understood the interest in the planet and the environment” : less transport, therefore less CO2 emissions, natural production, where the market has integrated “at a certain time” the use of synthetic products: “we also made the choice to remain completely natural and leave the synthetic wave”.

What do we mean by synthetic? “Concretely, you take a hemp flower which was completely cleaned, washed of its cannabinoids and then repulverized with synthetic cannabinoids”. The effect is a little closer to that sought by cannabis consumers, but it is “products that are really harmful to health”.

“What is still nice about the plot is that we are fine without having the label and recognition, but there are no inputs, we cultivate on a plant cover of clover”adds Aurélien Junter, also co-founder. Abroad, the culture is more industrial, with “hydroponic crops, greenhouses over hundreds of meters as far as the eye can see, it’s rather this kind of competition that we have, so we try to bring something different, we try to respect our land as much as possible”.

The company is always looking for better hemp varieties adapted to the climate. The summer of 2023 was different from the one that has just passed. Last year, “we had much less water, it was much drier, things went well in terms of cultivationobserves Aurélien Junter. We realize that with the quantity of water that we have accumulated [en 2024]it is a variety which is attacked by botrytis. In the end, it’s not very conclusive with so much humidity.”.

Typically, he and his colleagues run several tests to try to find “resistant varieties” which will be rich in terpenes and cannabinoids. These must also present advantages for producers: correspond to market demand and be productive.

Today, in France, the authorized standard is 0.3% THC. Since its full legalization, the French CBD market has experienced real expansion. In 2022, 17% of French people had already consumed it, including 10% last year. However, this is still less than illegal cannabis. Next step for Aurélien and Edouard: increase production.

With Claire-Marine Selles / FTV