Le Puy-en-Velay, historical city of infusion plants with strong cultural heritage

Le Puy-en-Velay, this charming town of more than 19,000 inhabitants is nestled in the heart of the Haute-Loire, in Auvergne. We are proud to have developed, and continue to develop, our business in this beautiful place. For 160 years now, Pagès has been producing teas and infusions a few kilometres from Puy-en-Velay. So we can easily say that the Puy is our HQ ! And it falls, because it is a real historical city of infusion plants.

It is necessary to go back a few years, many years in fact, to know the history of infusion plants in our beloved city. From the early Middle Ages, plants were used by health-care workers as remedies and then for well-being. Medieval medicine relies almost entirely on the benefits of medicinal plants, whether wild or cultivated in gardens. Some writings report that in the 14th century, a canon among the Puy-based health care staff specialized in medicine and regularly used plants to treat the sick. It supplies itself from the botanical gardens of the city and its countryside, in which grows an abundant flora, which is still the case today in Auvergne.

A few years later, around 1759, an apothecary was created at the Hôtel-Dieu and became a real care center. One of the apothecaries of the hospital mastering the therapeutic virtues of many plants but also the art of blending plays a primordial role in the use of plants for medicinal purposes in the Puy. The years passed and the apothecary of the Puy became a pharmacy then a tea house in the 19^th century. Indeed, with medical discoveries and the appearance of synthetic molecules, plants are more consumed in infusion for pleasure than for cure.

 

It is in this context of terroir and predisposition to the use of plants that several herbalists are born in Puy-en-Velay. Pagès, heir to this ancestral tradition, is one of them and was born in 1859. Since then, we continue this local expertise through our brand, our teas and our infusions.

 

The Puy-en-Velay is not only infusion plants, it is also a whole cultural, historical and architectural heritage. If you are passing through our charming city, take a few moments to stroll through it. At the bend of paved and colorful streets, you can admire its heritage buildings but also the typical and charming architecture of this city of Haute-Loire. See you here for more information.

      

 

The "Collector" rand and bio herbal tea "Le Puy-en-Velay" 

It is because we are so proud of it that we wanted to develop a Pagès box with the effigy of our city. The organic herbal tea "Le Puy-en-Velay" is part of a Collector range, specially created to highlight our beautiful French regions. Discover the organic herbal tea "Auvergne Rhône-Alpes", "Ile d'Oléron", "Normandie", "Paris by Night", etc… Our little favorite is obviously the one that represents our origins : the organic herbal tea “Le Puy-En-Velay”. Its traditional appearance, imbued with the cultural heritage of the Puy and its gourmet recipe make it one of our most popular creations: the association of the Verbena and the Blueberry is very tasty. In addition, this recipe is a nod to our roots: the Verveine is the most representative plant of the Haute-Loire, the inhabitants have even made it their emblem. The Blueberry, for its part, refers to the production of “red pearls of the Velay Mountains”, small fruits common in our countryside.

 

 

Discover our video here!

Crédit photos : Sébastien FALCON, Ville du Puy-en-Velay