In this town in Vendée, the only bakery has reopened thanks to the help of the town hall

See my news
Follow L’Hebdo de Sèvre et Maine

“It’s a project that we both had and the opportunity presented itself a few months ago to take over the village bakery. The conditions proposed by the municipality have greatly facilitated things,” explain Mélissa and Jason Alfaïa, two thirty-somethings, who have just taken over management of the bakery from Place de la Croix-Edmond, located in the town of La Bernardière, in Vendée.

Acquisition of equipment

The last baker announced a few months ago his wish to stop the activity.

Unable to find a buyer itself, the town hall took matters in hand.

Already owner of the premises and not wanting to leave the town without a baker, the municipality decided to acquire the equipment and to offer prospective buyers a lease including premises and equipment.

This formula suited us. Without this, we would never have been able to raise sufficient capital to set up.

Baker for 14 years

Jason, 33, has been a baker for 14 years.

” I have worked as an employee in several bakeries. My last job was in Vieillevigne, a commune in the Nantes vineyards. That’s where I met my wife,” he explains.

As for Mélissa, her first steps in working life did not necessarily lead her to a bakery.

“I trained as a care assistant but I love contact with people. This type of local business suits me completely.”

A project that was “obvious”

They also gave a name to their bakery which is now called 7 Évidences.

“7 is for the number of people in our family, we have 5 children plus the two of us. And evidence for our meeting and for this project which was obvious,” they comment.

New products offered

Barely installed with the much appreciated help of their respective families and new products are already being offered to customers.

Like the batch of baguettes at 5 p.m., for people who come home from work and enjoy freshly baked bread.

And like snacking.

“We offer sandwiches at all hours. And also some hot dishes like the homemade pasta box and soon the tartiflette or the shepherd’s pie,” explains Mélissa.

On the bakery side, the couple offers a choice of regular breads and special breads. “The flour comes from the Girardeau flour mill in Boussay. We also offer a range of organic homemade sourdough breads and some spelled flour breads,” continues the baker.

A nod to the identity of the municipality

As for pastries, no fuss but only homemade and traditional products such as tarts, flans, and brioche.

Note that at 7 Evidences you can find the La Benotte baguette or the Paris-La Benotte, a very local version from Paris-Brest.

A nod to the identity of the town. And in reflection, roast chicken in the oven every Sunday.

The friendly installation evening at the end of October attracted nearly 150 people.

To welcome these young bakers is a bit of a relief, we were really afraid of becoming obliged to get our bread elsewhere,”

7 Évidences Bakery in La Bernardière. Open Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed on Wednesday. Such. 02 51 38 31 24.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.