Faba bean is a variety of small beans used for livestock feed. Such is the definition of the Larousse in January 2022. What if humans had made a mistake? What if he had missed out on a raw material with exceptional agronomic and nutritional virtues, allowing us to feed the population in a sustainable way? And what if the bean, with its delicate taste of walnut and chestnut, had its place in French gastronomy? This is the ambition that Béatrice Maire has set for herself, via the company Graine de choc that she founded in January 2019: to make the faba bean a noble and typical material of our land with the hope of revitalizing the local industry dangerously threatened with extinction.
Consumers, restaurant owners, chefs
Until now, faba beans were not used in France for human consumption. From 2000 to 2013, France was the largest exporter of faba beans for human consumption. Indeed, it is commonly consumed in countries around the Mediterranean and especially Egypt. A quality protein at low prices. Trade with these countries stopped in 2013. The only remunerative outlet for producers having disappeared, bean harvests have fallen by 38%. It is a legume capable of fixing nitrogen and making it available to other plants. Its crops are essential in crop rotation and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nutritionally, it is very rich in vegetable proteins, which makes it a good alternative to animal proteins. Its high fiber content gives it a low glycemic index: its consumption helps fight against chronic diseases (diabetes, cholesterol).
Graine de choc
Graine de choc is a company created in January 2019 by Béatrice Maire.
We create recipes and products based on local fava beans, purchased directly from producers in the Hauts de France region.
Our flagship product is the hazelnut and cocoa spread, which contains 45% fava beans!
