“Damassine” plum

Story time…

The origins of the damson plum got lost through the ages, but legend says that this small fruit was brought back from the Crusades by knights. Stories also mention a certain priest from Charmoille who travelled to Palestine in 1145… What we know for sure, is that the name “Damassine” was given to this brandy after Syria’s capital, Damascus. The limestone soil and ideal climate of the Ajoie region of Switzerland allow this small plum to express its full potential, here more than anywhere else. (source : www.J3l.ch)

That’s it for the official story. Now, allow me to tell you my version. Like Obelix, I fell into it when I was little. My childhood summers during the harvest period, I would spend them on my knees under the trees with my parents and my two sisters in order to pick up, by hand, the precious and delicate Damassines. Just like mirabelle plums, Damassine plum are picked and not plucked.

The little extra…

During the harvests of my youth, we always used two buckets: one for the fruits that would go in the barrel, and one for the fruits that would end up in the compost.

We kept asking our daddy : “Is this one any good? How about this one?”With a sure but slightly annoyed look on his face, he answered: “If you feel like eating it, we distilled it, otherwise too bad! There is still enough above our heads that are ready to fall”.

At that time, I was far from imagining that all this would become a passion, then my job. Besides, my parents didn’t imagine it at that time either…

Today, I work in exactly the same way as when I was younger: every fruit is picked up and held between my fingers. Each damassine plum therefore passes through our fingers.

My passion and love for good things motivate me to aim for quality over quantity.