They left Avignon to cultivate their happiness in Brittany
She taught English and French in Tokyo for a few years, he was a shepherd in the mountain pastures of the Mercantour massif in the Alpes-Maritimes. Agathe Mani and Gabriel Homola-Maureau, both from Avignon, met in Kergrist-Moëlou (22), in central Brittany, where the grass is greener, to create their organic flower business. Thus, on April 10, 2021, was born in the enthusiasm of a great adventure The Flowers of Pan.
A desire for nature
Gabriel had this longing for nature in him; Agathe was looking for land to settle there and have a simpler life than in Japan. “When we were in Avignon, he told me about his project, and I came here to Brittany, says Agathe. I thought why not the flowers. What could be more beautiful than working in flowers? “.
Organic respects the land and those who work it
“It was chance that made me recognize the owner of a piece of land where the flowers were already in cultivation but had been abandoned,” adds Gabriel. I offered to take it back; I wanted to bring it all back to life. There was a passion, I learned on the job with him, little by little”.
The organic flower, a discovery and convictions
It is therefore a discovery for the couple but a discovery with strong convictions. The land is labeled organic, which is good because the company Les Fleurs de Pan will be respectful of the earth. “Organic respects the land and those who work it,” insists Gabriel. “Besides, conventional flowers often occur in heated greenhouses with chemical fertilizers and a large carbon footprint. 85% of cut flowers are imported from the Netherlands and Ecuador”.
The couple also noticed one thing: “A cut flower like the peony, for example, can last ten to fifteen days in a vase, while at the same time that of the Netherlands will last four/five days maximum”.
In the markets of the region
Since the creation of their company, Agathe and Gabriel have been shopping in Rostrenen (22), Bon-Repos (22) and Huelgoat (29). And the feedback is good. “We even had a client who told us that she kept a bouquet of hydrangeas bought from us for more than a month”. The duo also supplies a few florists and two wholesalers in Rennes.
New varieties for the summer
In the field, the couple enriched the choice of flowers they had collected with the land. After the peony, the dahlia, the daffodil, Agathe and Gabriel planted tulips, anemones and lilies. “For the summer season, we will have sunflower and statice, adds Agathe. But the bulk of our production remains foliage plants such as eucalyptus, hypericum and snowberry. We include them in the bouquets for the markets”. The next goal is to make the company a completely organic haven. “It’s in progress, it’s just an administrative matter,” concluded Gabriel enthusiastically.