Fleur de sel Le Guérandais: how to recognize it?
On the Guérande peninsula, the Fleur de sel has been harvested for years. A know-how handed down from generation to generation, which preserves the exceptional qualities of this white gold while enhancing the natural heritage of the salt marshes.
A timeless production method, respectful of the environment and traditions
Fleur de sel has been harvested in Guérande for many years. Over the generations, this know-how has been passed down on the peninsula. Little known to the general public before the 90s, it acquired its letters of nobility through the great chefs who used it for its exceptional qualities.
Still today, the maintenance of the salt pans and the harvesting of Le Guérandais salt are carried out by hand, respecting artisanal traditions unchanged for several centuries. Salt workers work all year round to create a circuit that allows seawater to reach the labyrinthine saltworks. A true work of goldsmiths, this expertise is based on a perfect knowledge of the influence of the elements on the formation of Fleur de sel.
A rare and precious gift of nature
What makes Fleur de sel so rare are the weather conditions necessary for its formation. Indeed, this "white gold" appears on the surface of the carnations on sunny, dry days swept by an easterly wind.
On the surface of the carnations, a fine film of crystals forms, delicate and fragile. Because it doesn't come into contact with the clay in the ponds, Fleur de sel is immaculately white. The salt workers then have only a few hours to pick this flower to preserve its qualities.
Harvesting Fleur de sel
The Fleur de sel Le Guérandais is harvested using a lousse, which enables salt workers to pick the white gold from the surface of the water.
The cooperative: solidarity rather than individual profit
The salt workers of Guérande decided to found a cooperative in the 70s to perpetuate their activity while offering a fairer, solidarity-based alternative to the traditional salt trade, dictated by market fluctuations.Every year, the salt workers pool their harvests and set a selling price that enables them to make a decent living.
To perpetuate the ancestral know-how of the Guérande salt marshes, new salt workers are trained every year.
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Fleur de sel Le Guérandais, Protected Geographical Indication since 2012
The Fleur de sel de Guérande was the first to receive a Protected Geographical Indication, in 2012. A consecration for the cooperative's salt workers, who see their commitment to quality recognized on a European scale. The "Guérande" appellation guarantees consumers an original Fleur de sel, harvested by hand according to the rules of the art.
Only Atlantic salt workers harvest Fleur de sel from the surface of the water, resulting in light, fine, crumbly crystals, a guarantee of purity.
What is a Protected Geographical Indication?
The Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) identifies a product whose quality and reputation depend on its geographical origin. It is always linked to historical know-how and a terroir.
To obtain the PGI, the product must meet precise specifications, first validated by the Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité and then by the European Union.
The names "sel de Guérande" and "fleur de sel de Guérande" have been recognized and protected throughout the European Union since 2012.
The salt harvest, an activity that sustains a territory and its inhabitants
Choosing Fleur de sel Le Guérandais also means supporting a dynamic branch of the local economy. The cooperative employs 220 salt workers who work in the salt marshes on a daily basis.
Each year, cooperative members help new salt workers set up in business by preparing their salt pans and training them in traditional harvesting methods. In summer, the salt workers also recruit seasonal workers, often young people from neighboring towns, to lend a hand during the harvests.
This commitment to passing on this precious know-how helps to ensure the continuity of the salt worker's trade while creating jobs in the Guérande region.
