Salt producers Vendée

Ile-d'Olonne is a commune close to Les Sables-d'Olonne and yet has a very different appearance. A natural environment, a little wild, a paradise for birds but also a land where salt is cultivated. At the Raffin's, we have been sauniers since 1744! The salt is harvested by hand, in the respect of tradition to produce a quality salt. Flavour your dishes with fleur de sel, plain or flavoured salt and salicorne. Get on your bikes for a peaceful ride through this magnificent landscape with its carnation pattern.

Christophe will welcome you to his salt marsh, which is easy to spot as it is located opposite a large calvary at the exit of Beauvoir-sur-Mer. He will tell you, not without a sense of humour, all the fascinating secrets of his trade: the history of salt, how it is harvested, how a salt marsh works... The visit is free and interesting. After the visit you can leave with salt or fleur de sel from his production, which will also make good holiday gifts to bring back to your family.

Nicola Karpoff welcomes you to her marine farm which includes 3 activities: breeding of the imperial shrimp (gambas), artisanal harvesting of salt, and salicornia, which is eaten as a vegetable or condiment, the "growth" of oysters in claires. Oysters with a unique particular taste, due to the clay basins. Did you know that prawns are produced in France, in the marshes of the Atlantic? The first prawns are marketed from mid-August to mid-November, and production is limited, so hurry if you want to taste these extra quality products.

An island of four terroirs, Noirmoutier is rich in "Terres de Mer" products. Since 2023, the island has been recognized as a "Site Remarquable du Goût" for each of its production zones. From the foreshore and its oyster producers to the artisanal/critical fishing port of L'Herbaudière, visitors will discover the salt marshes and their sauniers, and the land where the famous Noirmoutier potato is grown. Fun, informative signposts are set up around the island's 4 cooperatives, enabling visitors to appreciate all the flavours of Noirmoutier Island.

Mathias and Kally, two passionate young salt-marsh farmers, are starting their^3rd season in this salt marsh. Sauniers, producers, independent harvesters. The La Griffardière salt marsh has 33 carnations. Very sensitive to ecological issues, they sell their produce in paper packaging (not plastic bags), and stamped with water-based ink. They are in the process of obtaining Nature et Progrès certification. Mathias sells his salt (coarse salt, fine salt, fleur de sel, plain or flavored, salicornia...) at markets, aboard his three-wheeler.

Les Églats salt marsh is at the entrance to L'Épine. Laëtitia and Anthony explain the workings of the marsh, the ancestral skills of the salt worker, how salt is harvested, the tools used to harvest it, the role of air and sun.... Every year, starting in March, each basin is emptied, cleaned and dried out. From April onwards, they will be gently pumped back into the water. On their marsh, they harvest coarse salt and fleur de sel, as well as samphire, which they sell in their cabin.