France is one of the best places for walnuts in the world, thanks to its ideal climate and a rich collection of varieties.
Walnuts, as with all nuts, have a huge spectrum of flavour. Most commonly found in shops is the Chandler variety; a tree unbeatable in its reliability and high yields. Planted widely for that reason, the drawback comes with a lack of flavour.
Our ‘Noix de Grenoble’ walnuts derive from three alternative varieties; franquette, mayette, and Parisienne. These three all produce far less than chandler, but have an unmatched flavour. Franquette in particular, is the cream of the crop.
Our walnuts derive solely from this region and contain only these 3 varieties.
Walnut trees provide a good accompanying crop for alley cropping systems. Aligned north to south, with 30 metre wide alleys, both crops can flourish whilst simultaneously sequestering carbon, decreasing soil erosion, and increasing farm productivity.
More protein per hectare than a cattle ranch?
A metric called “land equivalent ratio” is a tool used to assess the productivity of a landscape. It is a useful way to decide how best to maximise productivity. Assessing the combination of walnut trees, with cereal crops, the benefits to yield, as well as the environment, become clear
Alley cropping produces the equivalent of 0.8 hectares of pure cereal farming
Alley cropping produces the equivalent of 0.6 hectare of pure nut/fruit farming
Producing a total equivalent of 1.4 hectares; a 40% increase in productivity than standard monoculture farming.*
*source Guidelines: land evaluation for irrigated agriculture. Food and Agricultization of the United Nations. pp. Glossary. ISBN 92-5-102243-7.
Nicolas and Laure Idelon, based outside Roman-sur-Isere are our sole supplier of noix de Grenoble walnuts.
After leaving a commercial sales career, Nicolas decided to pursue the family tradition and enter the world of walnut production, bringing innovation and a host of ideas with him. The team in France are able to supply consistently excellent quality kernel, alongside a range of fantastic alternative products, walnut mustard to name just one.
French Walnuts-Noix De Grenoble
Noix de Grenoble - a mix of three varieties; mayette, parisienne, and franquette. Mild and creamy.