The chestnut forests in Ardèche are the biggest in France, covering over 10,000 hectares. The forests produce 4,000 to 5,000 tons of chestnuts each year.

Of the several dozen varieties of chestnut trees which grow in these forests, Sanofruit uses 5 or 6 main varieties, including Aguyannes, Pourettes, Sardonnes, Guarinches, Comballes and above all Bouches Rouges, for our candied chestnuts – our famous Marrons Glacés.

Sanofruit uses only Ardèche varieties of chestnuts, and has installed 2 shelling lines for its chestnut products:

• Oven line : to peel the chestnuts used in the chestnut jams.
• Scored and steamed : a very high quality process used for marrons glacés and whole plain chestnuts - marrons au naturel.

These efficient shelling lines enable us to prepare many different chestnut products, made with fresh chestnuts peeled on our premises throughout the entire chestnut harvesting period in November and December.