The Franco-German Christmas market of the Argenton-Ulm Wiblingen twinning committee, which brings together sixty exhibitors this weekend under the Grenouille municipal hall, is essentially devoted to the two favorite themes of the end-of-year celebrations, gastronomy and decoration. In the first case, the various stands mostly highlighted, offering foie gras, cheese, honey, pastries, wine, beer and an abundant offer of German specialties consisting of 400 kg of cold meats. , 200 kg of sauerkraut and 2,000 pretzels.
He is a cocoa bean roaster
As for decoration, visitors will find candles, garlands, floral arrangements, earthenware, soaps, soft toys, wooden toys and clothing. They will also discover the know-how of new participants, including a manufacturer of wooden objects, a designer of artisanal jewelry, and a chocolatier. The latter has already made a name for himself in Argenton-sur-Creuse where he opened a store on rue Auclert-Descottes in November 2022, to realize his wish to settle in a town where part of his family lived.
Pure original tablets
After working for four years for one of the largest chocolatiers in Paris, Thibaut Pinardon set out on his own using his experience as a roaster. This allows it to manufacture products from cocoa beans. “I am the only one in the department. And in France there are only 80 of us out of 4,000 professionals who carry out this dual activity. », Underlines the artisan before specifying that the raw material comes from Tanzania, Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua, Madagascar, Ghana and Vietnam. The bean is roasted, crushed, ground and conched on site, then molded. Its objective is to offer pure original tablets at an affordable price.
An approach that he highlights, Saturday and Sunday, at the Franco-German Christmas market, with the desire to introduce people from outside Argenton to the brand. The 3 chocolates. It also recently added a second store in Châteauroux. “This event attracts a lot of people and it is an opportunity for me to explain my work. To promote and have people taste my different products: Advent calendars, pure origin tablets, spreads, orangettes, praline and ganache assortments very popular for Christmas, and boxes to offer on the occasion of Christmas holidays. end of the year. »
An important period for the chocolatier since it represents 40% of its turnover. Which will then take him to the Christmas markets of Éguzon, Poinçonnet, Blanc, Château de Chabenet, Obterre and Thenay.
Franco-German Christmas market, Saturday 23 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday November 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Argenton-sur-Creuse municipal hall. Presence of Santa Claus and activities with Toy Story characters. FREE ENTRANCE.
