Ardeche. Faced with theft, she chose to open her chestnut grove to the public

Hairdresser in Le Teil who became a castaneiculturist in Labastide-sur-Bésorgues, near Lachamp-Raphaël. This is Sandrine Rieu’s bet. “A few weeks ago, I had some chestnuts stolen and something clicked. I want to introduce all tourists to the chestnut and Ardèche culture,” she exclaims, removing the snow accumulated at the entrance to her property.

Its story with the emblematic fruit of Ardèche began during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I am a hairdresser in Teil, I have always been from Ardéchoise, so I have always cooked chestnuts, for example. But before the Covid pandemic and the confinements, I had never thought of buying a chestnut grove, says Sandrine Rieu. During this long time at home, it started to grow in my head. I looked everywhere in Ardèche and found a plot in Labastide-sur-Bésorgues. It had not been logged for several years and, if I had not recovered it, many trees would have been razed. »

Since 2020, the Ardéchoise has taken advantage of every weekend to work on her land. “I bought it for not much. But it takes me time to put everything back in order. The total plot is 3.8 hectares and I am the only one to take care of it, make fences, clear brush and maintain the site. »

Furthermore, working alone on several hectares played tricks on her. This fall, large quantities of chestnuts disappeared… “At the start of winter, I had between one and two tonnes of chestnuts stolen that I had not yet picked. In addition, this year, there are not many but they are a very good size,” the Ardéchoise annoys.

“I thought about it all night, I couldn’t sleep and it came to me suddenly,” she continues. A chestnut museum. This is the project that Sandrine Rieu wants to develop. “Now that it’s done, I don’t want to get stuck on this news item. I want to turn the negative into a positive. The goal is to revive the chestnut grove thanks to tourism and local people. From this year, the goal is to open it and everyone can come and pick up and then pay for what they have collected. This way people passing through can find out what it is and take some chestnuts home,” she describes.

Open the chestnut grove to the public this year

For her project, Sandrine Rieu has ambition. “I am also lucky to have an old stone building on the land. It is a building that dates back several centuries. Time has damaged it a little, it is missing a roof but the long-term objective is to build a museum to introduce people to the chestnut in an even more educational way,” she insists.

If a break during the winter is necessary, Teilloise wants to start her project as soon as the weather is nice: “I grew up in Ardèche, and it’s really close to my heart to highlight my culture. »