Sustainability is fundamental to our philosophy of life!
Since 2017 we have embarked on a journey of giving an old watermill and its adjoining buildings a new sustainable life.
Moulin Scalagrand was built as a watermill for milling wheat, and the flour obtained was then processed in the adjoining bakery. The previous owners of the mill were providing bread for Villereal, a picturesque medieval village located 2 km away. Back then the water turbines, powered by the river Dropt flowing underneath the buildings, produced hydropower for the machines processing grain. Today the same turbines have been renovated and adapted for the production of electricity powering the whole compound, along with our solar panels, we only use our own harnessed clean energy!
Moulin Scalagrand is now a self-sustainable mill and an alternative retreat inspired by the principles of Permatourism. Our site has been repurposed to offer immersive experiences in permaculture farming, up-and recycling, farm-to-fork, and foraging culinary activities. We invite you to engage in a more ecological approach to tourism.
Our growing food forest is a diverse plantation of edible plants, like fruit trees, berries bushes, and perennial herbs, organized in three dimensional designs, with life extending in all directions – up, down, and out. We distinguish seven layers of the food forest – the overstory, the understory, the shrub layer, the herbaceous layer, the root layer, the ground cover layer, and the vine layer. Making various use of these different layers, we can fit in more plants in a particular area without causing crop failure due to competition among plants crowding the same space. Our orchard and vegetable garden are based on the principle of permaculture. No chemical fertilisers and pesticides are used and therefore many creative solutions have to be found to fertilise the soil or to prevent insects and wild animals from eating our plants or harvest, safeguarding our food in non-destructive ways based on coexistence with other beings.
Our natural pool and its regeneration zone comprise a small ecosystem that changes over time, and it is not only a recreational pool to swim in during the hot summer weather but also a reservoir for watering the garden in periods of extreme drought.
Chickens roam, peck and lay eggs freely on the premises; pigs dig and scoop the soil, preparing it to receive the seasonal turnover of vegetables; bees from our own hives pollinate flowers to help produce fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and also provide us with honey. Many wild animals like birds, butterflies and dragonflies populate the river banks, the woods and the garden, and in every season a different life cycle can be observed, learned from and respected. We make our own eco-friendly house cleaning products, such as soap bars, laundry, and dish soaps, in order not to damage the delicate balance of bacteria in the septic tank.
Our dream is to share our techniques, self-sustainable practices, and new traditions through workshops and summer retreats; and to receive people interested in sharing their own knowledge and commitment towards an environmentally aware approach to daily life, both in work and in leisure. Through personal experience, knowledge and ecological awareness, we learn every day how to live with our ecosystem that provides an abundant livelihood for our household, our friends, and guests.
Frederique
Frederique (Fredje), lived in Italy where she became an expert gardener and ran her own garden center for twenty years. In 2017 she moved to the Moulin Scalagrand where she started her own permaculture farm and table d’hotes.
Her dream is to become self-sufficient and lead a sustainable life respecting nature, which in many ways she has just about realized.
In her journey of learning, directly engaging with the land, and with the support of her family, friends and local community, Fredje has cultivated a vegetable garden, two food forests, a natural pool and much more.
At the Moulin Scalagrand she offers workshops on permaculture and intuitive cooking with wild plants ,workshops of bread and soap making.
She serves as an inspiration to people who are aligning with her philosophy of a back-to-basics life-style and gives back to her local community by means of exchange, solidarity and care for each other and the environment.
Michela
Michela was born in rural Italy, into a family of gardeners, from whom she inherited a passion for plants and botany. She is learning permaculture principles and is a practitioner of wild foraging for culinary and herbal medicinal purposes. She studied drawing at the Accademia delle Belle Arti of Rome and at the Audio-Visual department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, in Amsterdam, and holds an M.A. In Solo Dance Authorship from Hzt (Berlin).
She is a dance artist based in Berlin, working in multidisciplinary projects and diverse social environments. Her artistic research focuses on the topic of ecology, especially the relationship between the body and wild plants. Participatory practices are at the core of her work, the social environment being the fertile ground of her interactive performances, workshops and shared practices. Her teaching encompasses eco-somatic dance, yoga and meditation.
Ellen
Ellen grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, instilling in her a strong ambition to create something of her own. In 2019, she launched her own brand, and the experiences she gained from this journey now fuel her dedicated work at the mill. Ellen manages the website and social media, creates content, and collaborates closely with Frédérique to shape the mill’s vision and bring it to life through thoughtful communication. Outside of her work, Ellen has a passion for upcycling old, second-hand items, breathing new life into them with her own creative touch.
Rest of the team
Pablo & Mitzie
Pablo, keeps wild animals away and Mitzie hunts the mice, but both love cuddles just as much.
Nera
Nera is the mill’s top mouse hunter, but she never turns down a bowl of prepared food.
Alexia & Celine
Alexia and Celine, root the soil and provide natural fertilizer, while also enjoying a good scratch.
Dollie & Jolien
Dollie and Jolien are our fulltime lawnmowers, keeping the grass in check.
The chicks
The chicks scratch the ground, fertilize it, and offer fresh eggs for breakfast everyday.
The bees
Our busy bees pollinate our food forest and supply delicious honey for our dishes.