Pickers of Manfolium respect ancestral knowledge based on organic farming, harvesting by hand and traditional drying.
In Jullouville, in the heart of the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, we have decided to settle as organic producers of aromatic and medicinal plants. Our land of 2 hectares benefit a pleasant climate few kilometers from the sea. Here, mimosa blooms in late February like Nice in the south of France! In these ideal weather conditions, the expertise of MANFOLIUM is revealed. Herbal teas are uniques and represent the result of a natural cycle composed by several steps:
We grow around twenty plants (verbena, lemon balm, mint, marjoram, romane chamomile, etc.) and practice crop rotation. The earth is hoed, weeded, and ventilated in depth by the “grelinette”.
Harvesting is done carefully by hand, after the dew, when all the active ingredients of the flowers and leaves are developed. This is a special moment awaited that we share regularly with bees and butterflies.
Then comes the time of drying. We have given new life to an unoccupied building stone for 50 years to become a traditional dryer with racks. The plants are dry in a single layer which is very thin for 1 to 4 days in the dark until they lose about 90% of moisture. Moreover, we installed a ventilation system based on solar collectors in which involved a dehumidifier and a heater if necessary. This type of dryer offers to date the best method of drying. It enables a homogeneous drying of the plant, optimum preservation of the active principles and maintains colors.
