Julie Sanchez, the nurse, welcomed us into her family home in Berat. It’s no easy task to sum up so much energy and passion in just a few lines! But let’s not be mistaken: we’re not talking here about spreading oneself too thin or winging it. Every one of Julie’s projects is based on clear long-term objectives, as her priority is respect for the environment and the preservation of its ecosystem.
Seven years ago, the renovation of her home using only natural, recyclable and non-polluting materials set the tone for her future involvement in setting up a permaculture micro-farm and a self-sufficient, animal-friendly livestock operation. So, after a career in the private sector, she decided in October 2019, with the support of her partner, to harness the potential of her (untreated) land by becoming a market gardener and livestock farmer. With a permaculture qualification under her belt, she quickly organised her production whilst teaming up with her fellow farmers who shared the same ethos. Then as now, the ever-energetic Julie spares no effort and works her land almost entirely by hand. A Herculean task that she juggles with her involvement in local and community life, the agroecology classes (among other things) she teaches at the LEP in Rieumes and… life as a mum!
If you pay her a visit, you’ll be able to see the fruits of her labour, meet her magnificent pedigree hens, buy their colourful eggs, purchase her jellies, pick fruit from the orchard with your family, admire her saffron fields and other wonders that unspoilt nature has to offer… Soon she will open the doors to her micro-forest (funded by a successful crowdfunding campaign) featuring self-regulating orchards, fostering the completely natural development of a rich ecosystem where she will incorporate her animal enclosures.
However, 24 hours in a day are not enough for Julie, so she continues to devote herself to some wonderful projects. The latest of these is embroidery, a childhood passion that has recently resurfaced. Staying true to her eco-conscious approach, she hunts for old, vintage sheets which she dyes using her own crop of dye plants. On these naturally dyed sheets, she will embroider magnificent creations, often made to measure, which you can find on her regularly updated Facebook page whilst awaiting the launch of her website.
Julie embodies a whole world and a philosophy that deserve to be discovered.