Objective:
The objective of this economic experience is to bring value to all the local chestnuts production in order to keep the maximum added value of the products at the producer/processor level, preserving local transformation know-how in order to ensure high quality products.
To do it, the idea of this experience is that producers pool the transformation process and join together in order to enter more important markets.
Context:
In the 1970s, in the Cévennes region, due to a massive chestnuts orchards recultivation, the chestnuts production became important again. Industrial groups bought in bulk and at a low price local chestnuts. Local producers paid processing services to industrial groups which imposed their cookery recipes. Producers had to find solutions to assert their own processing know-how and to improve their incomes which were very low.
Contacts:
Further information:
The protected designation of origin specification concerned: «Châtaignes et marrons des Cévennes et du Haut Languedoc » - http://www.payscevennes.fr/resources/medias/pays.cevennes/filiere.agroalimentaire/fiches.filieres/fiche-chataigne.pdf
Economic interest group "Castane" site : http://www.chataigne-cevennes.fr/