A French foodie tour I'll never forget

When you get asked if you’d like to take a tour of the local truffle factory with renowned cookbook author and newspaper journalist Joan Nathan, you’re not going to turn it down, right?

Back in October 2022, I spent an afternoon at Plantin, learning all about truffles from the President of the Company, Christopher Poron.

Christopher’s father Hervé took over the company in 1986 from Marcel Plantin who founded it in 1930. Since the takeover, Christopher and his colleague Nicolas Rouhier have expanded and diversified the business, selling fresh truffles to individuals and companies all over the world; as well as truffle and mushroom-based products via their boutique in the heart of Provence.

They export truffles to some of the best chefs in countries such as Singapore, Japan, and the US.

So, how did I get to be on this gastronomic guided tour in the first place?

Well, my sister had been working in the Sales department at Plantin for almost a year and she was organising a tour for Joan Nathan (the amazing writer I mentioned above), Kay Rentschler (another fantastic foodie writer), and Patricia Fieldsteel (a journalist who lives here in France and who was hosting Kay and Joan for the week). Patricia has been a family friend for years and was happy for me to come along for the ride! What an amazing group of women to be surrounded by for those few hours. And it all started with a fantastic introduction to the company by Christopher.

Photo taken by Judith Keys | Christopher Poron, President of Plantin

Christopher explained his family’s love of truffles. How he was part of that world from a very young age. He remembers going to see local farmers with his father and buying truffles out of the back of vans at the local truffle markets in Richerenches and Carpentras.

Richerenches is a tiny village in the Vaucluse department in Southeast France. It’s where the global price of truffles is set every week at the village truffle market throughout the black truffle season (from early December to the end of March – when the market finishes until the season comes around again).

“The Richerenches truffle market accounts for approximately 50% of truffle transactions in southeast France and approximately 30% of all the truffles in France.” (Source: https://www.provenceguide.co.uk/.../provence-153016-1.html)

It is a fascinating market to visit if you are ever in that part of the world. There are lots of stalls selling whole fresh truffles as well as gorgeous truffle products; and the two Richerenches restaurants serving 3-course truffle menus.

But the best part is watching the secret truffle transactions taking place in the tiny car park at the top of the village. Farmers come from all around with their white C15 vans, selling their wares and trying to get the best deal compared with their neighbouring truffle salesmen. It really is a sight to behold. Although to be honest, you can’t see much as so much of the back and forth is done under wraps!

Many of these farmers will also sell their truffles to Plantin. And as Christopher explains, they bring them directly to the ‘guichet’ (‘hatch’) that is specifically for them and the Plantin rep. who welcomes them will complete the deal and give them a piece of paper to take to the Accounts department where the farmer is paid immediately, in cash!

The truffles are then washed of the dirt that they arrive in using a special machine with water jets that gently removes the soil.

Christopher explains that from his calculations he buys around $400,000 of soil per year! He has yet to find a buyer for it and therefore it’s a loss that comes with the territory! Some farmers did show an interest in buying the soil as well as the water that the truffles are washed in as the truffle spores could be present and therefore allow them to grow even more truffles on their land.

This is something that Plantin encourages local farmers to do i.e. grow more truffles! The demand for fresh, local truffles is going up all the time and Plantin needs the surrounding landowners to provide the goods. In economic terms, if the supply does not meet the demand, the price goes up and therefore the customers are less likely to buy. So, the more farmers Plantin can get on board, the better.

Photo taken by Judith Keys | A black truffle (read more about this variety here).

When it comes to selecting the best truffles, Christopher told us all about the Plantin ‘Truffle Master’, Eric! Eric has been working with truffles for 30 years and knows a good truffle from a bad one just by holding it in his hand. He will check for slight marks, or holes, and will know if the truffle will have a rotten core, something that should be impossible to tell just by looking at it!

If it’s a particularly bad harvest in any given year – 2022 had not been great due to the hot weather over the summer, for example – the company can be forced to sell truffles of a lower quality than in a good year. And because of the lack of truffles in a bad harvest year, the price is higher, meaning a customer will be paying more for a lower-quality truffle! Hence Christopher preferring the years when there is a bumper harvest because there are lots more truffles of great quality to choose from, the price is lower, but the customer can then buy more – and is more likely to be very satisfied with their product!

Christopher assures us that even in a bad harvest year, they’re still great truffles! It’s just that there are not as many great truffles to choose from!

I asked him what they sell when the autumn and black truffles go out of season…when the local truffles are no longer available. He tells me that truffles are grown all over the world: in Chile, Hungary, and Italy for example. So, they buy in these truffles, meaning a year-round supply is available for their customers.

The Plantin products are a relatively new side to the business. With lots of different delicacies to choose from: truffle spreads and condiments, truffle-flavoured crisps and cashews, and even some gorgeous truffle honey. You can see their gourmet products here: https://www.truffe-plantin.com/en/5-gourmet-products.

Finally, we talked about price. Christopher produced a glistening 5 kilo bag of autumn truffles and I asked him how much it was worth. He gave us the eye-watering figure of $6000!

Photo taken by Judith Keys

He described the truffle price increase that has taken place since he started working with restaurants in New York back in the 90s. And how he has built up a lot of trust and respect with chefs all around the world since then – some who even WhatsApp him with their orders! And one chef requesting a perfect white truffle by the end of the week as he was going to be serving it to Prince Albert of Monaco!

Christopher was a treasure trove of amazing information all about truffles, the business side of things as well as the taste, produce, and price of these amazing delicacies.

Whether you are a fan of truffles or not, they are something special and they will surely have adorned many French plates over the festive season!

Photo taken by Judith Keys | L-r: Patricia Fieldsteel, Joan Nathan, Kay Rentshcler, Christopher Poron, Judith Keys.