Frédéric Jautrou is one of the 15 asparagus growers who came together to create the registered trademark “Asperges du Pays de Richelieu”, an initiative that has helped promote the spring vegetable in the region.
“The brand has existed since 1998. The objective of this project is to have a common communication, recipes, booklets, a logo and a unique message for greater visibility. We have been working on this for 20 years and it is finally paying off. Using the name of a recognized historical French character, Cardinal Richelieu, has also accentuated the popularity of our product. “People know more about the Cardinal than the asparagus, which has helped us promote the asparagus of our region. The asparagus of this brand meet very strict specifications and they have the particularity of being very sweet, totally devoid of bitterness. Asparagus have been produced here for generations, in about 20 municipalities.”
Region with a small production but great consumption
Today, the asparagus du Pays de Richelieu are cultivated on 50 hectares. Each year, some 200-250 tons are harvested, most of which are sold locally. “Our asparagus sell very well in the region. Producing regions generally consume more than non-producing regions, and we are lucky to be in an area where people consume a lot of asparagus, since 80% of our production is sold locally.”
An ingenious producer
In addition to being a producer, Frédéric Jautrou is also an engineer. He grows asparagus and other vegetables, but he has also invented an asparagus bundling machine, which he sells to other producers.
“I really like to fix things and adapt my tools to gain profitability and simplicity without breaking my back. The idea for my asparagus bundling machine came from the fact that I was not pleased with the industrial machines offered on the market. So I started by making a very small system on a scale, to form bundles of 550g or 1kg, gently, using flat elastic strips (thickness of 6-7mm) to hold the asparagus well while preserving them. The result looks very nice. A label can be added to personalize the bundle and add information. But this first system was quite slow so I made the system evolve to gain efficiency, but with the same simplicity. We then went from 60 kg to 700 kg of asparagus bundles per hour, while keeping a compact tool of 1m-1,20m.”
A machine that can adapt to any farm
This invention makes Frédéric Jautrou's life easier but it also makes a number of other producers very happy, as it can easily adapt to the needs of any farm. “Originally, I had created this machine for myself. I had not planned to build any other, but I realized that it could also be useful for other producers facing the same issues. In the end, I have already sold about 20 of them. Another advantage of this machine is that it can be used on both small and larger farms since you can work alone or with others. It is a modular and versatile system that suits everyone. I have sold some in the Landes region where the farms are usually much larger than here. Others have also crossed the borders to Portugal and Switzerland.”
Could the machine be used for other varieties of vegetables?
The asparagus grower has no shortage of projects. He plans to one day adapt this model of machine to other vegetables that he also produces. “We also grow squash, a whole range of pumpkins and butternut, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers and even watermelons. I think that one day, this bundling machine could also be useful for other vegetables. Finally, we are also thinking about installing a system of crates at the farm to make direct sales.”
For more information:
Frédéric Jautrou
Les Asperges du Pays de Richelieu
fredjautrou@orange.fr