You might have spotted him at the Grand-Case Tuesdays market, between a cookie and cocktail stand. At a small table, Michael Ludon offers black pepper from Guadeloupe, pink peppercorns from Saint-Martin, and vanilla from Martinique. With his shop, “Ô Mil’épices,” he showcases products from the French West Indies, as well as from Madagascar. His ambition: to reintroduce people to quality spices in a region rich in flavors… and, eventually, to establish vanilla cultivation in Saint-Martin.
Originally from Vert-Pré in Martinique, Michael Ludon grew up in a verdant hamlet “surrounded by chickens and coconuts.” He planted his first vegetables at the age of five, yet he wasn’t initially destined for a career in agriculture. After studying jewelry making in mainland France with the intention of taking over his grandfather’s business in Martinique, Michael ended up staying for ten years in Lyon, his adopted city. There he met his wife, a teacher from Guadeloupe. Then, in 2022, they both settled in Saint Martin, so as not to have to choose between their two native islands. Upon arriving, Michael became involved in cooking by helping a pastry chef friend. He often used vanilla, but struggled to find good quality vanilla on the island. He then began sourcing it from his aunt in Martinique, who grew it in her garden. From this, “Ô Mil’épices” was born.
A human-sized business
For the past three years, he has been developing a small-scale network: he imports spices grown by his family in Martinique and his in-laws in Guadeloupe, sources pink peppercorns from a chef in Terres Basses who uses only a small portion of them, and buys large quantities of locally produced honey from Quartier d’Orléans or Galisbay. Lacking a dedicated space, Michael sorts, cuts, packages, and tests his recipes in his kitchen. He transforms some of his products, making, for example, syrups, including a black pepper syrup from Guadeloupe that is said to be “even hotter than chili peppers.”
The vanilla trade remains a challenge for the young man. “The pods are fragile, and above all, nobody needs ten pods a month,” he explains. He is gradually expanding his range and now offers more products to individuals, while also developing direct sales to restaurants and shops on the island.
In his quest for quality, Michael also turned, through a friend, to Madagascar, on the other side of the world, to import, among other things, one of the most renowned vanillas in the world. But his project remains deeply rooted in the Caribbean. Through “Ô Mil’épices,” Michael Ludon champions a simple idea: to promote local resources and encourage more authentic consumption, far removed from industrial spices. And why not, one day, see vanilla grown in Saint Martin? _DR
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/portrait-les-milles-epices-de-michael-ludon/
View comments
Hide comments