Based at the foot of the Mont Ventoux, the 40 producers of the company Les Paysans du Ventoux grow asparagus, cherries, apricots, grapes and plums. The company, founded in 1980, is still in full development. This spring, it will double its size by building a new warehouse of 19,375 square feet. “We have had some very difficult years, but we always keep moving forward,” declares François Rotteleur, commercial director of the company.
The producers of Paysans du Ventoux are spread out around the Mont Ventoux, so the production period is quite extensive. “We start with the plain, and we finish on the north side of the Mont Ventoux. The climate varies greatly depending on the exposure, resulting in a difference of two weeks.” The company offers its products throughout a season which extends from mid-March with the asparagus to November with the last grapes. It is the first producer of AOC Muscat grapes of the Ventoux, with a production of 300 tons.
Cherries for Wimbledon and the Queen of England
The Paysans du Ventoux are also specialized in large caliber cherries, which they market under their own brand “the peasant’s choice”. “In Great-Britain, we cater to the tennis courts of Wimbledon with those cherries. Queen Elizabeth II ate them too,” recounts François. “I have a client in London who serves a store next to his home, specialized in luxury products, and one day, the Queen stopped by and took my cherries.”
The company has been exporting to Great-Britain for a long time. “It is true that the situation will change with the Brexit, but we don’t know exactly how yet,” explains François. Besides Great-Britain, the Paysans du Ventoux exports products to Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. Their apricots (the company’s second product) are marketed in Italy.
The purple asparagus
For the apricots and asparagus, the French origin is visible on the packaging of the exported products. “There is a banner with the French flag, because the French origin stands for a certain quality,” according to François. The asparagus season will start in two weeks. The Paysans du Ventoux offers mainly the purple asparagus, especially sought after by luxury wholesalers, but it also offers the other more common varieties.
The purple white
The purple green
The thin asparagus
The products of the Paysans du Ventoux are certified ISO 22000 and IFP (Integrated Fruit Production) for cherries and table grapes. The company is also in the process of obtaining the HEV (High Experimental Value) certification. In addition, the products are certified AB (Biological Agriculture). “Each year, we develop volumes of organic apricots, cherries and table grapes.”
40 producers have joined the company. For all five products, the Paysans du Ventoux also works with some 40 external producers who supply their merchandise. “This doubles our volumes,” concludes François.
Thierry Nicolet and François Rotteleur at Fruit Logistica
For more information: 
François Rotteleur
Les Paysans du Ventoux
Phone: +33 (0)4 90 69 83 24
Mobile: +33 (0)6 30 10 17 85
Fax: +33 (0)4 90 69 60 46
contact@paysansduventoux.com
www.paysansduventoux.com