At the Relais Desserts Excellence Prizes ceremony on 3 November 2024, Hervé Lauzier was awarded the Exceptional Craftsman prize.
We are delighted to share with you his passion for his farming profession and for the almonds which he takes the greatest care of.
Hervé supplies many Relais Desserts pastry chefs, such as Eric Escobar, based in Montélimar, who shares with us his recipe for nougat, the region’s emblematic confectionery.
© Hervé Lauzier
For over 30 years, Hervé Lauzier has been cultivating his almond trees with passion in the heart of the Drôme, near Montélimar. Winner of the Relais Desserts Exceptional Craftsman Excellence Prize in 2024, he has helped Provençal almond growing rise from the ashes.
Let’s take a look back at the history of one of France’s oldest almond growers.
Reviving an age-old tradition
Almond of Provence is an authentic regional tradition that dates back centuries. Nevertheless, it almost completely disappeared after the historic frost of 1956.
In addition to the terrible damage provoked by the cold, the modernisation of agriculture and the rural exodus also affected the region at the same time. These factors drastically reduced almond production in the region.
But in the 1980s, some crazy people (fadas in French), as Hervé Lauzier describes himself, decided to revive almond growing in the Drôme. After carefully selecting almond varieties for their taste quality, he then planted his first almond trees in 1988. At that time, he started with just 3 hectares of orchards. But he already had an idea in mind: to produce almonds of exceptional quality.
© Hervé Lauzier
Almonds grown with care and passion
In 2003, Hervé Lauzier decided to leave the cooperative he had been part of until then to develop his own business. Thanks to new almond trees, Lavam’din is now producing up to 20 tonnes of dried fruit per year. This was not an easy challenge, given the massive production and importation of almonds from California. But thanks to his hard work and know-how, Hervé Lauzier managed to distinguish himself by the quality of his dried fruit and his dedication to it.
This craftsman considers that it is essential to respect the life cycle of the plant so that it can produce the very best almonds. He therefore spends the winter pruning and maintaining his trees, before the flowers bloom in mid-March. Spring pollination then gives birth to the first fruits, which will continue to ripen throughout the summer months. The harvest begins at the end of August and lasts several weeks. Next, the almonds are cleaned and dried. Finally, they are broken and sorted at the beginning of October.
© Hervé Lauzier
This meticulous process ensures top-quality almonds that satisfy the most demanding professionals.
Looking to the future
Unfortunately, in 2018, violent hails severely damaged the almond trees. Decimated by a fungal disease, the almond production declined to less than ten tonnes a year.
However, Hervé Lauzier never gives up. For several years now, he has been working on reorganising his orchard and thinking about introducing new varieties.
© Hervé Lauzier
Today, the production of Lavam’din extends over 27 hectares, with 5 varieties of almonds: Lauranne, Bovera, Mandaline, Ferragnès et Antonietta. The almond grower works almost exclusively with professionals, chocolate makers and restaurant owners.
You can taste his almonds in the recipes of Éric Escobar and Luc Guillet, or in the pastries of Pierre Hubert and Olivier Buisson.
Click here to discover Eric Escobar’s recipe for Nougat of Montélimar.
In addition, while Hervé Lauzier sells today 90% of his production in raw almonds, he is actively engaged in developing new products, including pralines and almond creams.
With climate changes and constant upheaval in production standards, Hervé Lauzier remains hopeful for the future by devoting himself to a new passion: poetry. These poems are his way of sharing his love of almonds.
Dragées en fête
[The life cycle of sugared almonds]
Petite amande sur ma branche perchée
[I’m a small almond perched on a branch.]
Il y a peu, bourgeon j’étais.
[Not so long ago, I was a bud.]
Puis la fleur et l’abeille se sont rencontrées,
[When the flower met the bee,]
Et d’elles, un petit fruit est né.
[A little fruit was born.]
Arrosée, bichonnée,
[Watered and pampered,]
J’arrive à la fin de l’été.
[I reach maturity at the end of summer.]
Quel est ce bruit d’enfer,
[Oh, what is that strange noise?]
Accompagné de fumée et de fer ?
[With all that smoke and iron?]
Mon arbre est tout secoué.
[All my house is shaking.]
