The department of Indre-et-Loire is recognized as an area full of truffles, this rare mushroom whose prices per kilo tend to soar. The Chinonais and the North-East of the department are among the areas most conducive to its development. And every year the markets of Marigny-Marmande or the Tours Town Hall are full during the winter season.
Until now, generally, the exploitation of Touraine truffles is mainly done via small farms. In an artisanal way, with one notable exception: Le Baron de la Truffe located in Ligré, near Chinon (60ha, the largest truffle farm in France).
Before long, an ambitious operation intends to gain some market share from Lochois: La Truffe du Roy, in Orbigny. Olivier Roynette plans to plant nearly 5,000 oak trees over 10 hectares. An unexpected project for this 51-year-old man who is director of Senegalese operations for the construction giant Eiffage (he spends most of the year there, only returning 3 to 4 times a year to Indre-et-Loire ).
“It comes from my wife who is Polish and who heard a program on global warming saying that truffles were going to move north. She suggested I take advantage of it on my land. I’m not sure I’ll make a living but I thought it was a good idea. »
The land we are talking about is a site that Olivier Roynette has owned and gradually expanded since 2005. It includes woods, ponds and, already, cultivated land. The truffle farm will be on a new plot, specially dedicated to this activity. “Originally it was for us. I wanted to buy to have a house – which we rent – but now I want to launch this to create a community around truffles” explains the entrepreneur who will return at the beginning of November to prepare the land and supervise the plantings.
What must be clarified is that the concept of the Truffle du Roy is particular: proposing to the general public to “adopt” a duo of truffle oaks (a hairy oak + a holm oak combined “so that it gives more”). With this model, you benefit from the entire production for 15 years, with a guaranteed minimum of 200g of truffles per year. This process already exists for vines or olive trees. You pay, you put your name on a vine or tree managed by a professional and you collect the product. Advantage for the operator: he immediately has cash flow.
In Orbigny, there are 2,500 pitches available for €800 for 15 years. A large sum, but which corresponds to €4.44 per month for a minimum of 3kg of truffles sometimes sold for up to €1,000 per kilo.
That said, be careful: you should not immediately expect to receive mushrooms from the trees you have chosen. “You have to wait at least 3 years for the first truffles, and even then it can be 10 years, or you may never have any. It’s not a culture, we don’t know” recognizes Olivier Roynette. If your tree does not produce, the truffle grower will take from his personal harvest or make purchases on the side which he will send to your home in 4 packages of 50g each.
A friend-neighbor will be responsible for daily maintenance.
Being based abroad, the entrepreneur has also delegated the management of his truffle farm. He called on a nurseryman from the south of France, Nina Wollner, to find the trees, an expert from the Lot to plant them and a friend from the neighborhood, a young retiree, for daily maintenance. However, in 4-5 years, Olivier Roynette aspires to exploit his land himself with the aim of leading a life “calmer, closer to nature. »
He knows it: his unique project in Touraine is already making people talk in a fairly closed and traditionalist environment. Especially since he is still a novice. He admits that two and a half years ago, he knew nothing about it. But he fell in love and now wants “make truffles known” to a new audience, convinced that there is “room for everyone. »
Olivier Collet
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