Marie-Laure and Franck, committed fruit growers

When two different backgrounds come together to share the same passion.

Angevine at heart, I was born in the Mauges, very close to the Ancenis region, where I grew up in a farming family. My childhood was a happy, free time, spent on the farm and in close contact with nature. My father raised cows, known today as Rouge-des-Prés, and farming has always been part of my history, passed on by my parents and grandparents. However, after my studies, I wanted to explore another world. I headed for Paris, where I worked for a Swedish company, a start-up at the cutting edge of modernity. Immersed in a dynamic and innovative environment, I moved into marketing and communications, with the idea of a career at La Défense in mind. Socially and culturally, it was an enriching experience that gave me a lot. It was in the hustle and bustle of Paris that I met Franck, a passionate arboriculturist involved in fruit production where direct sales were essential. Although I was familiar with agriculture, I couldn't see myself returning to livestock farming. But with him, I discovered a world that resonated with my values and my roots. In 1997, I decided to return to the Pays d'Ancenis, in Trans-sur-Erdre, to join Franck - a return to my roots from a new perspective. Since then, we've formed a complementary duo: Franck, in the field, looks after the orchard, while I take care of everything that follows production - sales, administrative management, recruitment, communication... This lifestyle choice has enabled us to create a human-scale structure, where family and professional life blend harmoniously. I'm delighted to have given my children this natural environment. Our family organisation has been greatly facilitated by the proximity between our workplace and our home, as well as by the fact that our children benefit from a varied, high-quality educational pathway that is accessible close to home.

Anchored in the natural and human environment

Today, I'm anchored in the Pays d'Ancenis, a region where nature is omnipresent. What I love here is the diversity of the area: the Loire, the hiking trails just a stone's throw away, and above all the dynamism of the associations. I wasn't born in the Pays d'Ancenis, so getting involved in associations has enabled me to meet the local people and become fully integrated into the area. Among these commitments, the creation of a travelling day nursery, set up by a group of women 25 years ago, remains a landmark adventure. The project made it easier for women to work and strengthened local ties. It made a major contribution to my becoming firmly rooted in the Pays d'Ancenis. With the TRANSMISSION association, I also took part in the "Julius Caesar" show in my home town of Trans-sur-Erdre as an extra, another great way of getting involved in local life. Today, I'm a mother, a committed woman and the local "apple merchant" all rolled into one. I think I'm lucky to live in such a lively region, driven by committed people, where there's always something going on. There's a warm atmosphere and a spirit of mutual support.

Places that do you good

There are places where I feel particularly good. Lac de Vioreau, for example, is an unspoilt site where you can go for walks, take part in sporting activities, listen to the birds and enjoy nature. I also loved stopping off at the crêperie there, a gourmet stop-off that I still remember with pleasure today. And then there's the farm, of course. It's my daily life, my commitment, but also a place where I feel good.

Local, sustainable production

Our commitment is to sustainable, local farming that respects the environment. With this approach, the trees defend themselves better and the fruit tastes better. We focus on quality rather than yield, because what matters to us is that people come back for the pleasure of our produce. Franck and I took this step over 20 years ago. It's not organic farming, but we've drawn a lot of inspiration from it and we're proud of it. Our fruit may have more visual defects, but what counts above all is its taste and naturalness. Today, we've built a company that reflects our image: a human-scale structure with strong local roots that supports several families. Our permanent employees, from the Ancenis area, fully share this approach. Some have been with us for nearly thirty years, forming a real family. We sell our fruit within a 30 km radius and add value to it by processing it, particularly into juice. In the Ancenis region, we also serve around thirty school canteens, an initiative that's very important to us: we want to pass on to young people the authentic taste of fruit and get them used to eating healthy food. Today, the choice of short distribution channels makes a lot of sense, even if it hasn't always been easy. We've built up something that reflects who we are, and we're delighted to have passed on this passion to our son Thomas. It's now up to him to make the business his own and take it forward in his own way.

Valuable links with customers

It's word of mouth that brings customers to us. When you hear people say, "Deshais makes good fruit", you really feel that you've succeeded. Customer feedback is what makes our work so worthwhile. I'm always delighted to see customers come back, sometimes even years later. Some of them have already taken part in the picking, while others come back because of a memory, like this person who came to the farm because she remembered tasting our fruit at her grandparents' house. These moments are precious. It's this recognition that keeps us going and gives me the desire to continue and develop every day.

It's a wonderful story that shows how a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture, combined with the passing on of family know-how, can create a long-term project that is firmly rooted in the local area. Thank you to Marie-Laure for sharing this authentic and passionate story!