The Gaussan Abbey
The Gaussan Abbey: a source of inspiration for future generations
The Gaussan Abbey is a novel and unifying project that aims to bring a heritage landmark back to life. A symbol of our history and our traditional know-how, the abbey has become a setting to experiment new ways of life, and future methods for responsible and sustainable consumption.
Driven by Akuo, the collective project is an example of a healthy ecosystem: from the selection and preservation of seeds to the on-site sale and consumption of finished products. Ancient seed varieties are selected according to nutritional properties and climate resilience.
Akuo collaborates with Agriterra and Roland Feuillas, a former engineer now engaged in milling and breadmaking, who works with ancient wheat varieties. Feuillas created Les Maitres de Mon Moulin, a bakery that uses entirely natural products (100% Nature®) and methods: traditional sourdough, certified organic agriculture, stone milling.
The Gaussan Abbey is the setting for a growing entrepreneurial community rallied around a project that combines regenerative economy and highly advanced energy technologies.
An agronomic station, developed to mainly process ancient cereal varieties, also includes vegetable crops and tree care.
The project also aims for energy independence by developing a genuinely symbiotic and novel agrivoltaic model that ensures positive synergies between agriculture and photovoltaics. In other terms, solar panel installations do not necessarily mean loss of arable land. Instead, operational synergies have proven to protect and make it flourish.
Teaching is paramount: the Abbey includes a training center in which future managers can learn about the living world and Agrinergie®, and how to run future similar facilities based on sustainable food systems, organic agriculture and renewable energy.
This emblematic project is the embodiment of our commitment to go beyond the simple production of green electricity by stimulating initiatives that combine food democracy and energy democracy.
At Gaussan, the idea is to create a regenerative economy modelled on living systems and to forge a positive symbiotic relationship between an economic and an ecological revolution. Such a transition consequently entails fully revolutionizing entire areas of our economy and rethinking what we mean by collective action.” Roland Feuillas, artisan bread maker
