MEET JULIE PATCHANE LACANE NATIVEL

LES HAUTS

In the green fields of her certified organic farm, Julie cultivates much more than just fruit and vegetables. Since creating ‘Lé Yabar’ with her husband in 2017, she has engaged in an eco-friendly solidarity approach to offer visitors a unique and informative experience. From the heart of her polyculture farm, Julie explains to us her passion for nature and her desire to pass on this precious agriculture that is friendly to her island.

Portrait De Julie Patchane Lacane Nativel Le Yabar

At one with nature from the field to the table

On her polyculture farm, Julie grows a wide variety of crops, each in small quantities, in order to preserve their quality. This approach means she can offer produce that’s good for us, like herbal teas based on ‘weeds’ that have multiple health benefits, or black garlic and bissap, both reputed to have therapeutic properties. Above all, Julie is a nature lover whose passion has led her to organic farming. “My dream was to create a self-sufficient farm, where nothing is lost, everything is recycled”, she confides, her eyes bright with conviction. At Lé Yabar, old pineapple plants are not left to rot. Instead, they are crushed to create humus and hence contribute to preserving biodiversity.

In addition to growing crops, Julie has also begun processing her own produce. This decision was triggered by a health issue that prevented her from spending as much time in the fields. But her bold determination enabled her to bring a new dimension to her farm. Galabé – an unrefined sugar extracted directly from cane sugar – and black garlic tapenade have become the Yabars’ flagship products. These delights appeal to gourmets and chefs in search of new local, authentic foods packed with health benefits.

A unique experience made for sharing

This is a farmer who doesn’t want to keep all these riches to herself. So she has decided to open her farm to visitors and offer them a total immersion in the world of farming with her ‘Day in the life of a farmer’ concept. Everyone is welcome, including whole families and groups of friends, for a memorable day with Lé Yabar. On the programme: insight into the day-to-day life of a farmer through various agricultural tasks, an entertaining introduction to sega and maloya music as a nod to the Yabar family’s Reunion origins, and moments of togetherness around a cross-cultural meal that reminds us this is an island of mixed cultures.

Building relationships through farming

With passion and conviction, Julie creates an eco-friendly form of agriculture in which she attaches importance to every single gesture. Lé Yabar is more than just a farm. It is a place for sharing where anyone can experience the joys of farming and being at one with nature on Reunion Island. But beyond the products available, it’s also about sharing knowledge, anecdotes and expertise with local residents and tourists, to create an even more intense and authentic experience of togetherness. With this project, Julie has turned her dream into reality, a reality that she enthusiastically and generously shares with all those who visit the Yabars’ farm.