After 7 years of traditional blending of teas, infusions and cocoa, a brand of spices and a plantation of aromatic plants and tea trees, La Fabrikathé is diversifying by creating a subsidiary producing traditional French pasta under the Youpi brand. The aim is to balance the agricultural model, enhance the relocation approach and continue to offer our customers a strong range of traditional gastronomic products!
Reflecting on a global agricultural and economic project!
Let’s take a look at the background! In 2021, we launched our own organic plantation. The main objective was to relocate and produce, independently, around 20% of the plants used in our blends of teas and infusions. In this way, we are responding (at least in part) to the need – which has always been essential to us – to control as many links in the production chain as possible: nursery, planting, harvesting, drying, cutting, blending…
We have also created the first tea plantation in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: 1,300 plants today, work to reproduce and acclimatise the seeds with a view to planting 10,000 plants tomorrow, a learning and educational approach to the plant… Finally, we grow a vegetable garden to provide organic vegetables for our employees’ families.
We want this agricultural model to be comprehensive and balanced, both economically and in terms of annual workload (year-round work for permanent jobs and profitable machinery!). In particular, this means diversifying into different seasons. The peak season for aromatic plants is from May to October, when our dryer is running every day to dry verbena, mint, lemon balm, etc. The plots need crop rotation to preserve the richness of the soil.
It was these observations that gave rise to the idea of developing a range of local artisan pasta products!
Craftsmanship and ‘do it yourself’ as DNA
Now renowned for the quality of our blends of tea, herbal tea and cocoa, we’ve built on our expertise as artisan blenders to create our own brand of spices, with blends and fleur de sel made in our own workshop. We’re very attached to our region, our village, but also to the quality of the products we offer our customers. Our standards are always gastronomic!
We want to put as much pleasure and passion into developing a range of 100% French – and even Rhône-Alpes – home-made pasta made from durum wheat semolina (organic or HVE – High Environmental Value) and ingredients from our own plantation (herbs, vegetable juices, chillies, etc.), controlling the whole chain as usual:
- The choice of wheat seeds (nutritional value and taste quality)
- The production of semolina using a stone millstone
- The pasta is made using the ingredients and herbs grown on our plantation
- Drying at very low temperatures to preserve the nutritional properties of the wheat
We began this year by planting 2 hectares of durum wheat with a local farmer. Historically reserved for the Mediterranean basin, growing durum wheat seems to be becoming possible – with global warming – in our Roanne region, as confirmed by a first experimental harvest in 2023 (3.5 tonnes).
In the meantime, we’ve invested in a press with bronze moulds and started production with durum wheat semolina from an organic mill in the Ain region. Yippee, we make pasta too!
Supplier of homemade pasta to delicatessens and the on-trade!
Launched in autumn 2023, the YOUPI pasta brand now has 8 flavours (plain, porcini, basil, garlic-parsley, tomato, beetroot, saffron, squid ink) and 2 ranges:
- A CORNER range in premium cardboard boxes ready to go on the shelves of independent food retailers
- A BULK range in 5 kilo packs for a zero waste approach
Today, this project for a new company has been entrusted to Jean-Christophe, who has spent a year training and testing recipes that are now available on the market.
Why ‘YOUPI’, by the way? From the family pasta platter on a Sunday evening to the pasta shared with friends over a glass of wine, from the gourmet pasta recipe concocted to impress distinguished guests to the cosy pasta you enjoy wrapped up warm on a cold or rainy day… We’re always happy to eat pasta, aren’t we?
Would you like to find out more? Would you like to stock our pasta in your shop or use it in tasty dishes for your customers? Just get in touch! We’ll send you samples and prices!
