top of page
MY VILLAGE - 2017 - 2018
Through this photographic project that I made for my BTS Photography, I wanted to rediscover the village of Tournon in which I grew up. I wanted to show these artisans, traders that I have always known and who allow the village to be so dynamic. I also wanted to immortalize the architecture steeped in the history of the most iconic buildings in the village. To complete this work, the story of the subjects photographed is told, sometimes going back a few centuries before.
Images and texts subject to copyright: © Lucas Frayssinet
The bastide of Tournon d'Agenais
The etymology of Tournon comes from Latin and means "mountain" but also circular enclosure, in fact the village is located on the oval-shaped plateau of a rocky pech at 217 meters above sea level. The history of the village is very old, since Antiquity we suspect a human presence. The first buildings would date from the Gaulish period but a lack of documents does not allow us to locate the exact dates. At its beginning, the structure of the village formed in a square between the current public garden and the current church. Tournon was mentioned and destroyed for the first time in 1212 by an Albigensian crusade. In 1249, Raymond VII of Toulouse ordered the extension of the village around a central square. In 1257, Tournon was considered one of the 12 Bailiffs of Aquitaine. Its official foundation is dated 1271 when it acquired its first privileges on the death of Alphonse de Poitiers, Count of Toulouse. Tournon is taken by the English in 1279 who complete the construction of the village and create important fortifications because during the war Tournon was a direct line of defense against the French. In 1293, Tournon was taken over for 10 years by the French but quickly became English again. In 1318 the village was officially annexed by the English crown but in 1324, the count of Valois took back Tournon and Agenais. In 1338, the Hundred Years War affected the village with the siege of Penne in June of that year. This war leads to misery, the population falls by 50 percent, the return to normal will be around 1450. The wars of religion between 1560 and 1594 follow: Tournon was a Protestant fortress and served as a refuge. But in 1570 a plunder was carried out by the Catholics who killed and looted the entire village, demolishing the Church located at the current Jardin Public. During the rise to the throne of France by Henri IV in 1593, he encouraged appeasement and promoted reconstruction while advocating Catholic superiority which thus triumphed. In 1601, Monsignor de Vilars was sent to take care of the village and win back the spirits, he set up the new Church in Abescat until 1886, date of construction of the new Church still existing today. In 1642, the king ordered the removal of the fortifications, Tournon then lost its warlike aspect. At the end of the 18th century, due to a horse-drawn carriage accident which cost his wife the life of the descent of the geese coast, the mayor at the time had the current access carried out by the Tour de Ville. Finally during the Second World War, Tournon was marked, on July 3, 1944 by the death of 9 people including 2 shot in front of the wall of the current gendarmerie during a German landing, Tournon was a village very resistant to the enemy . Today it counts 736 inhabitants at the last census and is a stable and calm country village.
Old post
When it was first built during the extension of the village around a central square, this building and those located behind were corner houses with arches all around this pavement of buildings. In the middle of the 20th century there was a toy store run by Mr. Béziat. Before 1957 the post office was located at Mr. and Mrs. Carles, on the other side of the street, behind the playground of the primary school. This building was built in 1957, it thus becomes the post office of the village at the end of its construction. Unfortunately, since 2012 the postal service was relocated to the Town Hall and the building put up for sale. It was bought 3 years ago and restored as a dwelling house.
Tournon stadium and rugby club
The Tournon rugby club was created in 1970 with the name UST (Union Sportive Tournonnaise). The creation is carried out by Jean Théron, the first president of the club with the help in particular of André Laurent, Lucien Frayssinet, René Barral, Gilbert Annibal and the Maury brothers. The club's first field was located on the edge of the Boudouyssou (local stream), therefore the field was regularly flooded. This first field of the rugby club was loaned by Pierre Tira on his own agricultural plots so that the players could play and train. During their first season the team played in the fourth series and had no infrastructure, the players went to wash in the nearby stream and the cows were used to maintain the lawn. The following year, the first locker rooms were in planks and the players were now going to shower at the schools. After five years they acquire water and electricity. From 1983, the club evolves in honor, the ground moves to create the current rugby stadium located at the Daniel cross in 1982-83 with the construction of the tribune and the lawn. The team accesses it the following season. The stadium has since become one of the main attractions of the village every weekend, with packed stands. The Tournonnais came with their families and were educated around this sport from their childhood. It was in 1986 that the club reached its highest level: in federal 3, 3rd division. In 1998, nearly 28 years of loyal service, Jean Théron left the presidency of the club, he has since been replaced by Jean-Paul Mirabel. In 2013, Tournon was crowned honorary champion of France and has since evolved into federal 3. For the 2019-2020 season, a merger with the neighboring clubs of Fumel and Saint Vite will take place, thus allowing to have a club with more than human and financial resources. This would make this new USVL 47 (Union Sportive Vallée du Lot) agreement a regional club which will be chaired by Claude Martin and Jean-Paul Mirabel with the help of Michel Marsan and Philippe Lacam as co-presidents.
City gate
Former main gate of the village, which is still today the only access that allows vehicles to go within it. It was built at the end of the 13th century during the fortification of the village by the English. It was dismantled in 1630 by order of Richelieu during the “defortification” of Tournon. The building on the right has been a grocery store for over a century. It was notably bought by Mrs. Lescoul Yvonne then taken over by her daughter Jeannine married Oullières. For the famous anecdote around this building, above this grocery store (at the level of the current marquise) and sometimes at its entrance was a parrot who spoke to customers and asked them in particular when they went out "you paid. ?! »In local dialect. The grocery store has now been closed for decades.
Corner house and abescat
This house is built on the principle of the Middle Ages with this place dedicated to commercial exchange. It is half-timbered with a covered passage on the ground floor to protect residents from bad weather. It was built at the end of the 13th century during the extension of the village around the central square. Just behind, under the bell tower, is the Abescat, former residence of the bishops of Agen. In 1601 it became the parish church after the destruction of the first located in the current public garden by the Catholics. The addition of the bell tower was also made in 1601 when the residence became Church. This maneuver was directed by the bishop Mgr Nicolas de Vilars who gives his residence to the Abescat to make it a parish church until March 23, 1886, date of the end of the construction of the current St Barthélémy Church. The door of the abescat dates from around 1700 and is still immaculate. Today, this place is a hall for festivals and concerts, and many events are organized there (bingo, Blues evenings, mayor's wishes, etc.). It is a central place of exchange for the population of the village today. In addition, the typical facade was listed as a historical monument in 1912.
Kindergarten courtyard and water tower bell tower
This location is assumed to have been occupied since the Gaulish times. The first castle was located on the current site of the church and the nursery school, thus forming a square. After many events, the boys' school was created there and built on the ruins of the old chapel of the religious of Saint Francis. The church, located just behind, was built between 1884-1886 in the neo-Gothic style. It had a bell tower located on the street side, but it was damaged by German bombing and destroyed in 1944-45. Tournon then remains 10 years without a steeple. In 1957, there was the construction of the water tower bell tower characterized by the cross located at its top, built on an octagonal plan, it is considered "not harmonious at the time" thus creating debate, it is indeed one of the few existing in France. It is located on the other side of the church between the sacristy and the apse. This water tower supplies the whole village from 1957 and creates a certain comfort for the population who no longer need to go daily to the well located in the central square.
House of Mr and Mrs Carles
This house with its refined and symmetrical architecture is steeped in history. It was once used as a Relais Hotel for travelers. It was bought in 1909 by Robert Carles' grandfather: Oswald, who transformed the place into a bakery by building in particular the bread oven. The son Marcel takes over during the First World War because his father is mobilized, he is in turn in 1917, but his aunt manages with a worker to maintain the business. In 1922, Marcel took over the bakery and his wife made the delivery rounds on horseback. The bakery made excellent bread, with a long and tedious preparation but which ends with its cooking over a wood fire, in a bread that lasted all week, very practical for example for peasant families. The know-how acquired by Michel Carles was passed on to his son Robert from 1940, when Robert entered working life at the age of 16. The products were local, Robert ate at Pierre Delpont the flour mill located in the upper village. In 1950, fuel oil replaced wood for heating the oven and in 1958, Robert married Jeanne, who was now responsible for selling bread. They continued in this way until 1985, when Robert retired. But the bakery did not close its doors for all that, the store took on the role of bread depot until 2002, when both finally retired from the profession.
The Belfry
Built in 1637, this building has a quadrangular structure of 3 floors resting on two side arches. When it was built, it was the symbol of prosperity and renewal, after the wars of religion, its own mechanical clock was placed there. It was in 1843 that the lunar dial was placed, operating on the clock mechanism. They work in symbiosis, the dial is modeled on the hour hand of the clock, however a difference of 7 hours per year should be noted, it was thus updated every 2 years. This lunar dial was created to be very useful to peasants and winegrowers, in fact at that time the winegrower culture developed rapidly and agriculture prospered. The mechanism is modernizing, the last time was in 1990 and corrects this shift. The mechanism is still present but everything works with electronic elements, it is one of the last 5 lunar dials in France. The bell of the Belfry dates from 1648 and has been classified as a Historic Monument since 1910. The cross at the foot is a symbol of protection and dated from the beginning of the 19th century.
The 3 businesses of the fairground
This building located on the Tournon fairground has always been a dynamic sector of the village thanks to its commercial life. In the past, the current grocery store was also used as a hardware store and occupied the entire surface of the 3 current stores. Madame Nicolas was the owner, followed by Madame Salvant and Madame Gould. In 2003, the town hall of Tournon bought the current premises of the bakery and the butcher's shop in order to create residential houses and the 2 current shops. The store on the left remained a grocery store with the purchase in November 2004 of the walls and the business by Evelyne Gary from Madame Gould. What allowed to continue and persist in the same spirit, it is thus the last grocery store of the village still in activity. The middle store is the bakery run by Christophe and Aurélie Valliquet since the summer of 2010. When the store was created in 2003-2004, it was Solange and Jean-Pierre Marmiesse who continued their activity in this new location. The store on the right became a butcher's shop in the same year, changing tenants only once. Since 2007, Frédéric Lago has been running the business with the help of his two employees.
Primary school yard
Located at the extreme west of the bastide. This building is formerly the girls' school which was built in 1937. It has a covered courtyard, previously it was open, no windows like today. The building to the left of the courtyard was the place that served as the homes of the teachers. These premises initially became a library intended in particular for primary school students, today it is the extracurricular that occupies it and the library has moved to the second floor of the town hall since 2013. In its beginnings, the he started school around 5-6 years old, CP equivalent and went up to CM2 following the same pattern as today. At the end of CM2 the school leaving certificate had passed and for many it was the end of their schooling. There were 3 teachers in the girls' school who looked after the students and two classrooms. The boys and girls met daily for lunch and the boys and girls ate together at Mr Delbrel's, currently the Belfry restaurant. This gentleman made the broth, the vegetable or the noodles and each of the students brought his own meat and his snack. Due to the education and the tradition of the time, the students joined in the catechism which took place after school at the Church of Saint Barthélémy.
City Hall
It is built with the principle of an arcaded hall with the town hall and administration above it, which is typically local in the southwest. This building was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style and enlarged at the end of the 19th century giving these three characteristic arches against four before the works. A campanile is thus established with a pediment having a sundial. The hall located below remains a place of celebrations, exchanges and sharing where in particular the schools organized the carnival there with its great spectacle. The hall is also used to celebrate the festival of rosebushes taking place at the end of August, a tradition perpetuated since 1845 and which rewards girls over 16 years of age with exemplary behavior in order to celebrate them. At the bottom left of the image, the village well, it is 35 meters deep and was dug at the beginning of the history of the bastide. It was thus used daily until 1957, when the construction of the water tower characteristic of the village and located in the Saint Barthélémy Church was completed. Previously this well was therefore the only source of supply for the inhabitants of the village.
Garage Mirabel
Belonging to Jean Paul Mirabel, the garage and the service station are the only petrol station and car garage in Tournon. However, this service was not always located there and the garage has a history dating back to 1950. In fact, at the beginning, it was Roger Mirabel, father of Jean-Paul who ran his first garage located just in opposite the house of Mr. and Mrs. Carles, in place of the current large pine which is located at the intersection to go up to the village. He therefore established his first garage from 1950, used mainly for motorcycles at the time, in a stone building and lasted until 1965. This first garage was located just in front of their dwelling which s' extended from the current dressing table until the end of the fairground. Part of the house was also used as a village bar and incidentally as headquarters for the Tournon rugby club from the 1970s. From 1963 until 1974 the garage was then located in this house, but at the same time Roger Mirabel began to build from 1967 the current garage located on the Route de Fumel. He finished the construction and this new building began to operate in 1974. Unfortunately, 5 years later Roger Mirabel died. Lydie, Jean-Paul's mother, then took over the management for a while. The time for Jean-Paul, just coming out of his year in the army, to create and establish his current company there, still in operation today. Jean-Paul now a former player and passionate about rugby, invests himself in the life of the club to become its president from 1998. With the help of his wife Christine, he runs his car sales and repair business with 5 employees, but also in parallel the teams of the club, the first of which plays in federal 3.
Jean-Luc Rigal: Sales representative in construction materials
Born and having always lived in the Tournonnaise region, which he describes as his village of heart, Jean-Luc is above all a rugby enthusiast. He played there for 30 years and today takes care of the Tournon club with commitment and it is this passion that he has also passed on to his two sons. In his professional life he began with agricultural studies. After a first job, he joined the Laurent establishments in 2002 where he managed the purchase of raw materials as well as sales and customer relations. The company in which he works is steeped in history, indeed we can go back to 1900 when the 3 Laurent brothers were already working with wood. Jean, the son of one of the 3 brothers, also continued working with wood. Together with his father, they set up their first building, Route de Cahors. Subsequently, André, one of Jean's children, took over the family business on his own in 1961 and it was in 1970 that André acquired the current, more spacious building on Route d'Agen. Since 1999 the company has been bought by Pierre Delsol the current manager. He developed and perpetuated the same spirit of this 3-generation company. Laurent establishments are specialized in wood and special timber, framework, sawing, joinery but also in construction materials. It is a convenience store which nevertheless manages to shine at the departmental level despite the large competing companies. Today the company has a total of 12 employees and hopes to keep this same dynamic of ever increasing development.
Jean-Michel Chevrier and Cathy: Goat breeders
Jean-Michel was born in Tournon d'Agenais on the family farm. After his school studies, he joined the Marty prosecution as a team leader in 1980. Following a judicial liquidation, Jean-Michel was made redundant in 2015 and had to retrain. From the age of 16 he had always kept in mind the idea of taking over the family and birth farm, his reconversion then seemed obvious to him. After some work, he started breeding goats a few months later. Today, after three years of breeding, he has 135 mothers who produce milk and in total more than 190, including the goats and the few goats. He quickly expressed the wish to grow in order to reach his final goal of 180 productive mothers. He then built a second building which was almost finished in order to provide better comfort for the goats who acclimatized to this new environment very easily. Jean-Michel works with his partner Cathy who takes care of the welfare of the animals, she is an employee of the farm and has good contact with the animals. Both complement each other perfectly during the milkings they carry out every day morning and evening. It's a daily job, without too much rest, the days start early and end late, but nothing to discourage Cathy and Jean-Michel who realize their childhood dream.
Pascal Lacroix: Ceramic Artist
Originally from Laon in the Aisne, it was in Sauveterre la Lémance that he created his first workshop. Pascal arrived in Tournon in 1986, he first settled in a place called "Franquet", then attracted by the old and picturesque architecture of the first buildings of the upper village, he restored with his partner Cathy this house of 13 th century in which he set up his gallery in 1990. He moved his studio 4 years later. Since then, he has lived, created and exhibited in this one and the same place. The architecture offers him vast volumes which influence him in his artistic works and pushes him to produce quite imposing and voluminous ceramic works. In his beginnings Pascal's production was essentially customary and decorative, currently his creations are sculptural. He is particularly sensitive to the closure of the Fumel plant, which symbolizes the end of an economy, a period, a know-how and has a hard impact on the population. Since then, he has devoted himself to a complete work on metallurgy, in the golden age of this knowledge punctuated by his workers' struggles. In this work he will imitate the aspect of steel to perfection. It is in enamelled stoneware that it gives the perfect illusion of another material. Due to this lifestyle and the setting in which he lives, Pascal is happy and proud to live in Tournon d'Agenais within a heritage steeped in history.
Pascale Laurendeau and Patrick Nouelle: Directors of the "Ullule" campsite
Pascale is the administrative director of the campsite and comes from Montauban. She previously worked for the CapFun camping group in the Landes where she also worked in management. Her work brought her to Tournon due to a desire for change. Pascale manages, among other things, reservations, entertainment staff, housekeeping and the administrative management of the campsite. She enjoys Tournon and also enjoys her work which also takes her a lot of time. Patrick is the technical director of the campsite, originally from Daglan in the Dordogne, he arrived in Lot-et-Garonne at the age of 21 thanks to rugby and his previous job as a foreman in a maritime pine processing company. Due to a professional retraining, Patrick wanted to take up a final challenge: to lead the technical team of the campsite. It has two to four employees depending on the season and takes care of the major work on the campsite such as the creation of swimming pools, the setting up of mobile homes but also the maintenance of green spaces. The Tournon campsite was previously the village's former leisure center. It was bought by the CapFun group, after a few years of work the campsite opened for the first time in summer 2015 on the theme of the Far West. The expansion work will stop in 2020 when the campsite has its 291 Mobile Home in place. It is already one of the largest campsite in the department.
Benoit, Kristel Julie and Muriel Soulié: Adjutant of the gendarmerie at the Tournon brigade
Originally from Isère, Muriel is now commander of the gendarmerie brigade of Tournon d'Agenais. At the start of her career, she joined that of La Verpillière when she was 24 years old and then found herself transferred to the four corners of France. It thus arrives in Lot-Et-Garonne for reasons of family convenience. In the brigade, which also serves as staff accommodation, 5 gendarmes are under Muriel's orders. The Tournon gendarmerie building has been closed to the public since the 2000s, which marks the end of the gendarmerie's autonomy but also its merger with the brigade committee with Fumel. The Tournon offices closed definitively in 2015. But since September 2018, the premises have been redeveloped and the barracks gradually regained their dynamism. The work of gendarme in the rural sector is mainly focused on communication with the inhabitant and the diversity of his trades. Despite the slight lack of resources of the Gendarmerie, their interventions are most often for burglaries, litigious deaths but also and too often for family or neighborhood conflicts.
Didier Balsac: Mayor of the village of Tournon and Farmer.
Owning a farm since 1979 Didier cultivates prunes and cereals there. He works daily with his wife Francine. In 2002 they launched into organic farming and have long encouraged the development of this way of farming. At the same time, Didier has always had a particular interest in local and municipal life, where he became involved in 1989 as a municipal councilor, then as deputy and first deputy to the last mayor, Mr Lacam. He was in turn elected mayor in 2014. Since then, he has had to mix his function as elected at the highest rank in the village with his long-standing profession: farmer. The job of mayor does take time, which of course leads to certain difficulties in his life as a farmer. Responsible for town planning in the community of municipalities, Didier validated the renovation project of the central square of the upper village and one of his main objectives was to have a clean and flowery village that makes people want we visit it. He plans to retire as a farmer soon, in order to devote himself fully to the town.
Patrick Longuesserre: Cow breeder - Farmer - Prune grower
Patrick is a farmer with a lot of diverse cultures. He started this adventure in August 1988 after having completed his agricultural BEP in Nérac. He then took over his parents' farm which today mainly includes a herd of 30 mothers of Blondes d'Aquitaine, 2.5 hectares of plum trees where he cultivates the Ente plum as well as an area of 50 hectares of agricultural land. . He spends 30 which he leaves in the meadow for his cows and the rest he works in special crops (sunflower and / or seed corn). He thus has several kinds of crops in order to be economically stable, but this diversity also brings him a lot of work between hay, harvests and the plum harvest which starts at the end of August. Patrick obviously encourages young people who want to settle down, because it is above all a profession for enthusiasts and a pleasant profession despite the workload. Patrick is at the same time a member of the municipal council of Tournon d'Agenais and his wife Isabelle is very involved in the dynamism of the village with the association "Friends of the bastide" where she performs secretarial work.
Laurent Gravriloff: Osteopath
Laurent is originally from the Deux-Sèvres department, but has not always been an osteopath. He began with a job in a cheese factory and then made long trips abroad. Following this experience he decided to resume his studies and began his training as an Osteopath in Bordeaux, he met his wife there during his studies who offered him to come to his department of origin: Lot-Et-Garonne. He then began his profession in Villeneuve sur Lot but quickly moved to Tournon when the medical center project was set up. He first moved to the fair in front of the 3 shops in May 2011. He was immediately welcomed by the inhabitants of the village who appreciated his methods of care. In November 2012, he joined the medical center which brings together an attending physician, a dentist, a physiotherapist but also a nurses' office and an orthoptist in order to ensure a complete health center that best meets the needs of his patients. Laurent continues to train to learn and develop new treatment techniques in order to maximize the well-being of the patient. He enjoys this pleasant environment with these pleasant people and takes great pleasure in exercising this profession.
Christine and Julie: Kindergarten teachers
Julie is the teacher of the adult class in the Tournon d'Agenais children's school. She has had the profession of school teacher in mind since adolescence, so she studied accordingly and in particular in Agen, where she successfully passed the entrance examination 15 years ago and found herself assigned to the Fumelois. . Finding the region very friendly, she remained in the canton and found herself in Tournon from the year 2015, replacing Roberte the former director of the nursery school. The classes it manages from one year to the next change every year depending on the number of students enrolled, it can have middle section up to CP. Christine is the mistress of toddlers up to the middle section. She has a similar background to Julie, only the training was not the same. Christine passed her Bac in 1980, then took a different examination: that of the normal school. A teacher then a school teacher, she has been doing this job since she was 21. After 37 years of experience teaching toddlers up to CM2, she still feels so proud and fulfilled by her profession. It welcomes toddlers, small and medium section in its class. She poses a different rhythm, during this age, from 2 and a half to 5 years old, she mainly teaches them vocabulary, but all while having fun with fun and practical activities. It is for her a fulfilling and fascinating profession.
Jérôme Brouat: Head of a team of the Firemen of Tournon d'Agenais:
Resident Cazideroque Jérôme is located a few kilometers from the village, he is also a farmer, and has a busy family life. He arrived at the firefighters of Tournon by chance, receiving a letter from the town hall which wanted to create a barracks in the village and which was therefore looking for volunteers who could perform this task. Jérôme willingly lends itself to it, for him it is a new challenge. He left rugby where he was at the end of his career to devote himself to the brigade and to his training as a firefighter. He follows training from April 2004. In September 2007, the adventure of firefighters begins in the building of the former Cuma vegetable in Tournon. It has now been 12 years today and he hopes to see more volunteer firefighters arriving at the brigade. Jérôme is the leader of a team of 5 volunteer firefighters. There are thus 3 teams like his within the barracks and all work together: by rotating their on-call schedule. The Tournon barracks operate in 7 Communes and count around 150 interventions per year, mainly for personal assistance.
Bastien Boursinhac: Earthworks
Bastien is a kid from the village and passionate about rugby since childhood, he has been practicing this sport for twenty years now. He has always lived in Tournon on his parents' cereal farm, which he followed in the fields throughout his childhood. But Bastien did not want this job, so he discovered earthworks which interested him more. He then continued his studies in this field and worked in Cahors for 10 years. However, he always wanted to have his own business at home on the farm in Tournon. On August 21, 2018 on his 25th birthday, he launched himself and created his own earthmoving company BHC TP. Bastien targets a local clientele, the area around the village indeed lacks companies like his. He works for both private and public clients and offers solutions in sanitation, earthworks, paths but also in swimming pools. In his approach he was immediately encouraged by the whole village wishing to see a young person create his own business on the outskirts of Tournon. His business is off to a good start, so Bastien hopes to continue this momentum and develop his still nascent business located just at the foot of the Bastide.
Christophe Valliquet: Baker - Pastry chef
Originally from Montayral, Christophe quickly started working as a baker. He completed an apprenticeship on Monpazier and worked as a worker for 10 years. He wanted to settle down and it was through Tournon, seeing that the Marmiesse bakery was looking for a successor and that they also liked the village very much, that Christophe and his partner Aurelie arrived in Tournon during the year 2010 Christophe thus has in his workshop and the bread oven at the top of the village, on the central square and the store on the fairground. He works almost every day from 1am until dawn. He makes different traditional and special breads, at the same time Christophe has just passed his CAP pastry chef, he also produces cakes, pastries, specialties but also pieces set up for weddings. It thus manages to have a diversified production. This young couple expresses the wish to continue on this same momentum in this village that they themselves qualify as family and friendly.
Julien Veyrac: Breeder - Butcher - Farmer
Having always been in Tournon d'Agenais, Julien grew up on his father's farm. First of all, he carried out butchery studies: CAP, BP at CFA d'Agen. Thus, through his father, also a breeder of poultry and pigs in the open air and his acquired diplomas, he decides to work within the family farm thus developing the markets and the farm itself. Today he raises around 80 pigs in the open air, which he will look after several times a day on the hillside of the Toulouse plain. At the same time Julien also cultivates cereals, mainly wheat which, once transformed into flour, will be a staple food for pig farming. It thus favors animal welfare by fully controlling their diet. Julien also has a direct-sale store on the farm which communicates directly with the cold rooms where the meat is stored. He does everything with his own hands in order to have a better quality end product. He is proud of this farm located a stone's throw from the village, where his grandmother already retailed piglets. After three generations, he hopes that his children will be as interested as he is in this fascinating but also demanding profession.
bottom of page