The project's story
In the watermill’s heyday, there must have been a bustling activity
with farmers bringing their wheat to grind,
lorries being loaded with flour bags to deliver to bakers,
and families using the bread oven to turn their flour into bread.
My story
A journey
As a child, I thought that I would choose an outdoor profession but, when it was time to take the leap, I went to business school instead. For 20 years, I worked in marketing in the luxury sector in New York, London and Hong Kong. It was glamorous, but it was not a perfect fit. I did, however, acquire a taste for artisanal skills and indulged my love of the natural world outside of work.
Perhaps my interest in plants is inherited from my great-grandparents who had a nursery, and my grandparents who sold seeds. But with my city life I had to settle for planting tomatoes on our New York rooftop and learning permaculture on the side. I developed an early awareness of climate change and the need to change our lifestyles, but increasingly struggled to reconcile this with my marketing job in luxury. So I soothed my eco-anxiety by cleaning Hong Kong’s beaches.
In my ongoing quest for solutions, agriculture appeared as a major lever for the ecological transition: diversified crops and regenerated soils can capture carbon, preserve water and increase biodiversity. Easily said, less easily done in a city like Hong Kong which imports most of its water and food.
Birth of the project
In 2018 I finally embraced my environmental convictions and took a business sustainability course, which led me to a role with Shared Value Initiative HK, whose mission is to help companies identify profitable solutions to social and environmental issues. Our job was cut out for us!
Finally, in 2021 the stars aligned with a return to France after 32 years on four continents, and, at the same time, an opportunity to purchase land in my home region. I saw it as the perfect moment to change my career path and took a 2-year agricultural qualification .
With this agritourism project, I can share my vision of an agriculture that feeds and reconnects us, an agriculture that creates landscapes and holds many keys to climate change adaptation. I’m excited to welcome you to our innovative agro-ecologic destination, where you can reconnect with friends and family, rediscover your place within the ecosystem and gain confidence using your hands.
History of the site
A mill in operation until 1987
There used to be two mills connected to the farm: the windmill on the ridge was used in summer and the water mill in the hamlet worked in winter when water levels were high. The river was diverted some 500 yards away to create a millstream powering the wheel.
Today the stream is back in its natural bed at the bottom of the valley, but an alignment of magnificent self-seeded trees outlines the former millstream, where the soil was rich and humid.
According to local historians, a water mill operated on site since 1610. It appears on ancient maps (Cassini before 1789) and the Napoleonic land registry (around 1834). In 1908, the water mill was turned into a steam-powered mill, then the motor was powered successively by lean gas (1918), diesel (1933), gasoline (1949) and finally electricity (1955).
Roger Sionnet, the last miller at Les Etrebières, closed the mill at the end of 1987, but the dairy farm still operated until the 2000s. Farming was always a supplementary activity to the mill, with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, vines to make local wine, and chickens, pigs, rabbits, etc. in addition to the dairy cows.
Agro-ecology
An agriculture working with nature
The goal is to diversify crops according to permaculture principles and aim towards autonomy by supplying the house guests and workshops with fresh, seasonal produce, as well as eggs and honey.
Most of the twenty acres are meadows grazed by cattle from local farmers. They harbour biodiversity, regulate water tables and capture carbon.
The hamlet renovation project
A village on a hillside
Nestled on a hillside, there is a nearly 10-meter drop between the farm buildings at the top of the plot and the ancient watermill at the bottom.
Over time, the buildings were modified and added to according to the families’ needs and the mill’s activity. Traces of this evolution remain on the stone walls today. If only they could tell their story…
The former dwellings have now been restored to create a large, charming gîte that can accommodate families, groups of friends or colleagues.
The old watermill
The mill is the gateway to the hamlet and welcomes visitors with its impressive facade. It tells the story of the intense milling activity that took place along the local river. Work is currently going on to make it weatherproof by replacing the roof and windows.
In phase 2 of the works, scheduled for 2026, there will be :
- a storage area on the ground floor,
- on level 2 (upper ground floor), a kitchen for culinary workshops using farm produce and an adjoining room for meetings, conferences or creative arts workshops (sewing, knitting, etc.),
- level 3, an open-office space
The barn
The barn is now watertight with a new roof.
In phase 2 (works scheduled for 2026), it will become a multi-purpose workshop to learn simple but empowering skills and reconnect with matter. Learn the basics of carpentry, mechanics, plumbing, basketry, pottery and much more.
The barn will become a place where passionate artisans share their knowledge with those who want to reconnect with the joy of handmaking.
The farm buildings
The cowshed, barn, pigsty and henhouse at the top of the hamlet will maintain their agricultural purpose for the farming activity including fruit trees, vegetables, small livestock and other crops.
The barn needs urgent renovation or it will collapse. While it is not built of stones, it follows the traditional shape of Vendée barns, flanked by stables made of stones. traditionalIt is flanked by a stone stable.
As part of the eco-renovation, solar panels will be installed on the roofs of the stable and hangar for electricity production .
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