Our mission: to put life back at the heart of the garden!
❝ Growing old and reproducible varieties means preserving a living heritage and offering future generations a healthy and diversified diet. It is also a strong commitment to more resilient agriculture, respectful of ecosystems and focused on the future. ❞
DIVE INTO THE HEART OF THE FARM 🎥
LET'S GO BACK A FEW YEARS...
...A LITTLE OVER 50 YEARS AGO
The history of the Ferme de Sainte Marthe began in 1974 when Philippe Desbrosses took over the family farm located in Loir-et-Cher. He began a collection of vegetable seeds in compliance with organic farming standards. In 1986, the first edition of the Ferme de Sainte Marthe catalog was published, offering around fifty varieties to amateur gardeners. The catalog grew, and around one hundred of the 300 varieties were included in the French catalog for amateur gardeners in the 1990s. This work of maintenance and conservative selection has not ceased and is still one of the foundations of La Ferme today.
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THE 2000S: THE FIRST STEPS OF THE FARM IN ANJOU
In 2006 , Dominique Velé and Arnaud Darsonval took over the company and decided to build a new project faithful to the original idea. They then moved the business and mail order sales to Anjou, to Loire Authion, in the heart of the seed valley. This was the beginning of a new adventure with a team of 4 people. At that time, the majority of crops were still kept in Loir-et-Cher but a network of seed multiplying farmers was set up in Anjou in 2008.
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THE 2010S: GROWTH AND COMMITMENT
2014 marked the beginning of seed production in Anjou with the acquisition of an 11-hectare plot of land, quickly followed by the construction of three tunnels, a small shed, and an outdoor platform. 27 varieties were initially cultivated.
In 2016 , an agricultural building was constructed with the development of an orchard and a test garden.
In 2018 , the cultivation area increased with 10 tunnels and 1000m2 of outdoor space to reach 50 varieties produced on the ground. -
THE 2020S: INNOVATION AND RENEWAL
The year 2021 is marked by numerous changes, including the launch of a brand new website and the construction of a real 'seed center' to bring together production activities up to the packaging of seeds.
In the summer of 2022 , the order preparation workshop and offices will move. The team of 20 employees will be reunited on the production floor.Today , more than 200 varieties are produced on our land.
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THE SEED-GROCERY STORE
After years of reflection and germinating ideas, our Graineterie-Épicerie finally saw the light of day in February 2023 on our production site in Loire-Authion. With humility, we embarked on this new business, motivated by the desire to do well, but also to do things differently.
The products in our store differ slightly from what you'll find on our website, thanks in particular to our well-stocked and diverse organic grocery store. On the garden side, you'll discover all our seed varieties, and believe us, more than a thousand varieties in bags—that's not something you find everywhere! We created the store as a true meeting place, for discussions, and for workshops, with a rich program of events. We are committed to sharing our expertise as artisanal seed growers and regularly offer tours to better explain our work to you.
A LITTLE TRIP TO THE FARM?
WHAT IF WE GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER?
At the Farm, we are a team of 20 highly motivated people ! Every day, we work together to offer quality seeds while remaining true to our ethical and ecological values.
Our businesses are as varied as our seeds: from seed production , to bagging , order preparation , customer service (always there to answer your questions), and marketing . All of this works hand in hand so that the whole thing is as harmonious as a well-maintained vegetable garden!
SEED PRODUCTION: MUCH MORE THAN JUST A VEGETABLE GARDEN!
Growing your own vegetables is great... but producing seeds is a whole other challenge! Unlike a vegetable garden where you harvest your ripe tomatoes or crisp zucchini, in seed production, you let the plants complete their life cycle. And yes, here, we don't pick the vegetables to eat them... we patiently wait for them to go to seed or reach over-ripeness!
Here, we only produce reproducible varieties , which anyone can replant the following year. This is a strong commitment to preserving a rich plant heritage suitable for all gardens.
In short, producing seeds is much more than just a vegetable garden: it's an exciting job that requires patience, precision and passion!
DIVERSITY & CONSERVATION: PRESERVING THE PAST, SOWING THE FUTURE!
At the Farm, we revive old varieties that are often forgotten or even removed from the Official Catalogue. These rare gems, whether vegetable, aromatic, or floral, deserve to be preserved.
Our mission? To revive these varieties, as they were originally. When we find interesting strains of varieties, we observe them, we compare them with the old descriptions, and we multiply them so that they last. This is how varieties like the Saint Vincent Lettuce , the Old Veille de France Melon , the Blue Hungarian Pumpkin or the Reine des Hâtives Tomato continue to live on the Farm until your gardens.
Every seed we grow tells the story of Sainte Marthe Farm. Thank you for sharing your time with us! If you'd like to discover even more or discuss gardening, our team is here to welcome you!
