The Jardins de la Testa

Originally, 28 hectares of thick scrubland bordered by the Cavu river attracted the attention of Gaétan and Suzanne Laurent. From 1965 onwards, their first motivation was to prepare this single plot of land, which seemed to them to be the ideal place to set up their farm.
After two years of hard work, the tools of the time being rudimentary, the time came to work the soil. But this plot of land along the river was nothing other than the old river bed. The soil was made up of larger pebbles than the others.
“The task was enormous, but that did not stop my parents from being determined.”
By dint of perseverance, two more years had enabled the development of 1 ha of this land, with siltyclay, gravelly and sandy-silty soil.
40 years after their arrival, the farm was almost fully developed. In order to continue their adventure, Gaétan and Suzanne marketed their product locally in grocery shops and direct sales. The nature of the soil, although rough, proved to be an extraordinary terroir. The fruits and vegetables had no other equivalent thanks to this soil which is very “rich in trace elements, but little in fertilizing elements, which allows us to obtain products with an exceptional flavour, “with the taste of yesteryear as our consumers like to underline it”.
In order to perpetuate the work begun by his parents, Jean-Jacques took over in 2001.

In 2003 the farm was converted to organic farming. The diversification of its productions allows it to be classified among the first of its kind. Today, one of the main productions revolves around citrus fruits, clementines, oranges, pomelos and lemons. Another part is dedicated to fruit trees, peach trees, fig trees, apricot trees, plum trees… and also to mar- ket gardening.
Thus it offers a range of fresh products to consumers, but also a variety of processed products, such as jams, fruit juices, tomato sauces…
Today, the third generation, with Guillaume, Jean- Jacques’ son, is preparing to take over the reins and sees other prospects opening up. A vision enriched by various experiences, from finance to entrepreneurship, pushes Guillaume to develop, together with his sister Charlène, several activities linked to gastronomy in particular.

An intimate restaurant “la table du verger” was born. By reservation only, it welcomes families or groups of friends from 6 to 20 people. In a unique and confidential setting in the heart of the orchard, a chef will make them taste the products of the farm, but also those of rigorously chosen producers.
A lost paradise, excellent products sublimated by chefs, events, art… The farm is taking a new turn, with a diversification of its activity, gastronomy, partnerships with producers, artists and creators… Over the next 5 years, the estate will change its face and
continue the evolution that has been initiated.