After having been a social selling coach at Tricycle Europe for about two years, Amaury decided to change things around and find hard core social sellers in our world; small scale organic farmers. This is his story.
Brigitte is a peasant of the farm ‘La Palfichade’, has a ‘business’ based on wild edibles. The farm is a mountain farm in the Regional Park of the Volcanoes, on the massif of Sancy, next to the Natural reserve of the Valley of Chaudefour.Engels With all the edibles on her farm, like nettles, comfrey, berries,… she makes ointments, oily macerates, infusions and pestos. Next to processing these edibles into finished products, Brigitte shares her knowledge by organizing cooking workshops and walking tours in her garden. ‘Actually, i’m not in some kind of business, I just like what I do, working with everything that surrounds me, from plants to animals!’, says Brigitte. She creates a 1-to-1 relationship with the consumer and that’s her biggest trump!
Brigitte’s activities on the farm creates a participation that makes people feel involved in her ‘business’. She likes to share everything passionating her with her audience. Every Sunday, you can follow a workshop ‘cooking with wild edibles’ at La Palfichade. She welcomes a small group and takes them into her land full of wild plants! She shows how you can recognize the edibles, what they are good for, how they taste and which parts of the plants can be used. Nettles are by far the easiest to recognize, but there are plenty other plants which are edible but people usually see as weeds and useless in their garden! After this walk, the cooking part starts. The fact that everybody is part of the process, makes it a very educational experience for all! People pay 30 euro entrance and go home with a full stomach with lovely meals from wild edibles and a bunch of inspiration and knowledge. After the workshop, people pass by her ‘expo’, where they buy some homemade products from the farm.
At ‘La Bourboule’, a village 20 km further north-west, Brigitte organizes an organic market during the summer months, together with a group of farmers from the neighbourhood. This is another way to bring her products to the consumer. On this market, her main focus is again to spread her passion about wild edibles. She takes her time to talk with the consumer. She invites people to her farm when they are interested. She makes sure people get what they expect! People do not only buy her products but also her stories, which gives the buying process a totally different feel. It strengthens the connection between her as a producer and her customers! The actual ‘business’-side of Brigitte’s farm, the one of making money, became her side-business. Her real business is related to her passion and involvement, and that is what people feel and value!
