Not very positive as a blog title, I concede that 😜

A rather uninspiring observation ...

In fact, it is not what we fundamentally think at the Compagnie du Radis, but it is the message that seems to us that the profession wants to convey. When we talk about our project with people in the field, or very close to the field, the reactions are quite similar..

The first reaction is generally a warning about the physically demanding nature of the profession, followed by another warning about the low profitability of the market gardening profession..

Our lack of experience in the field is of course another source of questions for our interlocutors.

And finally, the last message is about the fact that we are planning a first harvest this year, whereas it would be wiser to wait a year and plan for a harvest in 2026..

Of course, I must be fair and say that we also met some industry players who were enthusiastic about the project and who, while discussing the challenges of the profession, emphasized the beauty of that same profession. 

... with what consequences?

We are certainly not deaf to the warnings of people more experienced than us, but does that mean we should put the Compagnie du Radis project on hold for a year to further train in market gardening techniques? We have the audacity to believe that we can do both and, while we are training, put into practice what we already know as well as the new teachings..

From our discussions with industry professionals, we have come to the certainty that a large part of the job is learned on the ground and depends on the personal experience of the market gardeners, their soil, and the crops they plan to cultivate. Diversified market gardening clearly seems to be a profession where each year of practice is a major asset. So, would it be reasonable to wait a year before getting started and lose a valuable year of practical learning?

We think not.

Ambitious but realistic!

We are therefore not changing our course and we continue to build the Compagnie du Radis on its 3 pillars - a Father-Son adventure, a Local and Earth-respecting farming, and a vibrant Community.

While at the same time, as we said before we are not deaf to the warnings. We know that this year will be "rock&roll" and that we will probably not reach, or will have a hard time reaching, our production goals. We know that we are very junior in the field and we do not underestimate (well, I think 😜) its difficulties.

You ... the Community 

At the same time, we are also aware that we communicate a lot about the Company and what we are going to produce while knowing that there is a risk of not being able to meet all your expectations. We could play it safe and only build the Community later (in a year, two years) when we have enough experience to guarantee a minimum production.

Once again, we think not, and the creation of this Community is already a very beautiful goal in itself. If production doesn't follow this year, it will be for next year, but in the meantime, we will have made wonderful connections, shared moments, and learned together. Isn't that already wonderful?

Let's track our progress together

Enough talking (well, writing😜) and let's keep moving forward!

Let's see together how things go in the coming months and regularly review the objectives and what has actually been produced..

To do this, and in full transparency, we have published on our site a table outlining our cultivation plan and the expected yields for each crop. This table will be updated as the harvests come in with the actual yields. Let's do it🤞

Here is the link to the page hosting the table.

Thank you for being a Companion on this beautiful adventure.

See you soon 😘