Cidre
Lemasson

Farm-based, organic and sustainable production. Traditional processing in keeping with ancestral savoir-faire. Modern and engaging marketing.

This small 11-hec­tare farm is set in the heart of Le Coten­tin, 10 kilo­metres from Cou­tances. It has 5 hec­tares of low stem orchards, and 3 hec­tares of high stem orchards. Cider pro­duc­tion is its only eco­no­mic acti­vi­ty, but for envi­ron­men­tal and cultu­ral inte­gri­ty rea­sons, they also keep sheep and cattle. This is all part of a family voca­tion for mixed far­ming in which live­stock far­ming has always accom­pa­nied cider pro­duc­tion. I retur­ned to the land in 1998, taking over the orga­nic far­ming acti­vi­ty that my parents star­ted in 1990.

The entire crop of apples, mainly of the local Le Coten­tin varie­ties (Marin Onfroy, Car­ti­gny, Clo­zette, etc.), is pro­ces­sed on the farm into apple juice, Coten­tin cider, Pom­meau de Nor­man­die or Calvados. The pro­ducts are made with res­pect for the natu­ral cycles of fer­men­ta­tion : fruit sor­ting, vat­ting, slow pres­sing, fer­men­ta­tion without sul­phur, on the lees for ciders to be dis­til­led, oak bar­rels for the Calvados and Pom­meau, natu­ral secon­da­ry fer­men­ta­tion for the ciders…

The pro­ducts are mainly dis­tri­bu­ted via part­ner retai­lers and bars-res­tau­rants, but can also be pur­cha­sed from the farm’s shop.

The farm is open to groups of visi­tors by appoint­ment, with a fixed charge of 30€ for up to 10 people. The tours from the orchard to the ageing cellar last bet­ween 90 minutes and 2 hours, during which visi­tors will have a chance to taste the farm’s 18 dif­ferent products.