History Astréïa, flour mill manufacturer
Jean-Marie is the founder of Astréïa.
‘When I met the Astrié brothers when they were selling their latest flour mill, I was captivated by the invention, the quality of the flour and the autonomy it gave farmers’.
I’m training to be a farmer baker and I decided to buy this latest mill and train with them to take over. Their advice was precise and reliable, as was their stone-ground flour mill.
I then took the mill back to my workshop in Roujan (24) and simply decided to bring it up to food safety, health and hygiene standards.
While my application was accepted for the purchase of land to grow my own cereals, I already had several requests to manufacture the stone mill, even though I hadn’t officially launched anything yet.
There’s a real expectation here, a real demand for a return to a fairer world and a return to the autonomy lost by cereal growers and bakers.
So I set up a company called Astréïa to manufacture and sell the type of grinding stone flour mill we call Astrié mill.
Our first workshop to build the mill
So I’m going for it!
My workshop in Roujan soon became too small to accommodate my business (cereals, mill, bread). So I went into partnership with my father, Philippe Ximena who would like to give my project a helping hand in terms of both form and content.
After many years in the world of large groups, he’s looking to give meaning to his professional project and it’s quite natural that he believes in my project.
We’re moving to a bigger workshop in the Ain department
My father then moved the stone mill to his business premises in the Ain.
A dedicated, enclosed space means we can work more independently. Yannis, our craftsman, joined us immediately, interested in the mill and also in the business project.
Following a training course I gave him as a companion, he gradually became completely independent. The experience he gained working with our customers enabled him to perfect his knowledge and he was soon ready to work without me.
A few months after his arrival, he took over and built the flour mill from start to finish. In the meantime, I continued his training, took care of answering the many questions from my customers and gained experience on my land and in setting up the bakery, still in Roujan (34).
Demand for the Astréïa mill
The business took a real turn very quickly.
Cereal growers and small-scale bakers are our main customers. They’re looking for a stone-ground flour mill manufacturer like Moulin Astrié to help them become self-sufficient once again and make exceptional flour that’s easy to digest and nutritious.
Each request is different, each requires a customised layout, a made-to-measure installation, and that’s what we like. The 3 of us can then work hand in hand with each of our customers to devise the mill best suited to their challenges.
In 2018, we are faced with so many requests that we need to find a craftsman to help us.
Our apprentice is currently undergoing training to enable us to meet the ever-increasing demand for a flour mill of the Moulin Astrié type, to today’s standards in a shorter timeframe.
Total respect for the Astrié invention
At Astréïa, we manufacture an Astrié-type stone mill without any modifications to André and Pierre Astrié’s invention, which is a guarantee of quality. What’s more, our mill complies with safety and food standards. We use wood with formaldehyde-free glues and we use stainless steel.
If you’re wondering what the differences are between a stone mill and an Astrié mill, we’ve got the answer here.
We have our land, we crush our wheat, we sell our bread
Selling a mill is one thing, making it is quite another, and ensuring that this mill is a guarantee of quality is our fundamental mission. At Astréïa, each employee brings his or her own experience and added value.
Jean-Marie, founder of Astréïa mills, owns his land, crushes his seeds, transforms them into flour and sells his bread in his bakery.
He uses an Astréïa mill and it is this experience in the field that fascinates him and enables him to help you design your project as a whole. He likes to spend his time humbly sharing his experience and understanding your project so that he can give you the most precise and appropriate advice possible! It’s not unusual for customers of other flour mill manufacturers to call him for advice!
Autonomy and the quest for meaning
Equipping yourself with an Astrié stone mill is a real turning point, an often societal responsibility: eating better, consuming better, making the most of a local cereal, getting back to basics…
It goes without saying that this must also be accompanied by a consistent entrepreneurial spirit on the part of your stone flour mill manufacturer.
As well as making the stone mill, what we are passionate about at Astréia is working with farmers to help them regain their independence and eat as healthily as possible.
Astréia: a global corporate project
As a manufacturer of stone flour mills,
Astréïa manufactures the mill from A to Z in France, using traditional methods.
Our craftsman will make your mill, cut the millstones, assemble the wood and build the sieves (…).
We work with noble materials and we like each mill to be made entirely by a single craftsman. Your stone mill, like a work of art, will have its creator.
There are no assembly lines or division of labour in our workshop. Our 2 craftsmen take it in turns to make your mill from start to finish.
Now we want to go further…
Each year, we work together to go further in our social, environmental and relational commitments, to carry out a real fundamental review.
Training our craftsmen in time-honoured skills, restoring meaning, passing on what we know to our customers to enable them to add even more value to their flour, empowering professionals in the sector… these are all missions that Astréïa wants to ensure continue.
Our focus this year will be on autonomy: for our customers, for our employees, for our structure and therefore for our products.
