We are in 1972.
That year, Paul Ricard hires a new steward for Méjanes. His name is Pierre Guillot.
What this man loves above all is to improve agriculture and, therefore, the domain’s management. He already has, at the time, a lot of experience in that field.
His great work abilities and work ethics are impressive.
His composure and charisma make him a respected man. “Solid as a rock” is the best way to describe him.
He moves on the Domain with his spouse Antoinette and their five children (Isabelle, Anne, Xavier, Marie-Pierre, and Eugène).
At the beginning of the 70s, tourism is going well in Méjanes thanks to the Petit Train, the horse-riding path, the shows in the arenas, and the two restaurants.
However, the rice fields are not doing so great. There is not much maintenance done, and the salt is taking back its territory, which asphyxiates the crop productions. The steward’s first big mission is then set. Redo the rice fields, level off the lands, dig, plant. Put back into shape the grapevine and the orchards that are also really damaged by the salt. Take care of the fields for the livestock taken care of at the time by Ramon Gallardo.
Subsequently, Pierre Guillot organises the massive planting of fennel and liquorice. Unfortunately, the cost of liquorice manual harvesting is too high. The fennel seems to attract all the region’s mosquitoes unbelievably. The rice stays the main crop production on the 300 hectares of cultivated land, on top of the soft wheat, hard wheat, sunflower, and corn.
All along the hunting season, Pierre Guillot welcomes clients of the Ricard firm during the week. On Sundays, he is assigned to receiving famous guests by Paul Ricard. He goes with them on their hunting trip, tells them about the domain and the Camargue’s history. Antoinette Guillot is in charge of taking care of the spouses’ wants and needs. Especially of the shopping and cultural activities done in Arles. Madame Guillot tells us from that time:
“One day, Mister Ricard invited Admiral Willian from the US Navy and his wife to Méjanes. They stayed a few days to relax and enjoy the surroundings. When the time came for them to leave, her spouse admitted to me that she hadn’t seen her husband that calm and cheerful for several years. She deeply thanked us for all the care we put into receiving them and all the good it did them to come to the domain. A few months later, my husband received mail from the United-States. It was an official invitation sent by Admiral William to come to the White House for a nomination ceremony!
The White House! My husband calmly told me that there was absolutely no way to leave Méjanes to go on such a trip. Neither for the White House nor any other event lasting longer than a few hours. We were not leaving Méjanes.
More than anything, my husband is deeply attached to this land, attached to this family, and Mister Ricard. Nothing is more important than the good running of the domain and the trust that Mister Ricard has in him. Mister Ricard is very grateful for my husband’s involvement. Without having talked about it with my spouse, it seems to be a great deal of respect and admiration between these two tenacious men. This gives my husband the unbeatable strength to pursue and be successful in all the projects handed to him”.
Because Pierre Guillot never has enough of working, he also often makes use of his experience to work with other domains acquired by Paul Ricard. In the Parisian region, he clears out forests; in the Charente, he manages grapevines; in Embiez, he gets the pond ready.
Parallel to his work, Pierre Guillot, with his fierce determination and Paul Ricard’s support, gets involved in the rice production’s developments industry. A French development in 1979. Firstly, he federates all of the Camargue’s rice producers. He creates the “Centre Français du Riz” (French Rice Center) and becomes its president. Arles city puts at the disposal of the new institution the mas du Sonnailler. The Domaine de Méjanes and Camargue’s rice productions quickly become a “rice laboratory centre” for all the producers, scientists, and researchers of that field. Spain, Italy, and Greece hastily send their representatives on-site to better understand and acquire new exploitations methods. The exchanges thus continue, and the knowledge deepens.
Pierre Guillot becomes, at the time, the European President of the Rice Production. He keeps promoting rice and increases his conferences with the French Government of agriculture and the European Parliament in Brussels. Every time he prepares to leave for important meetings, he is seen filling his car trunk with rice crates. He gives it to taste to the prominent decision-makers and aims at making them new ambassadors.
Pierre and Antoinette Guillot have two sons. Xavier the eldest and Eugène the youngest.
They grow up on the domain, like their sisters, and in turn, become farmers in Méjanes and managers of their own company. Their children living by their side also work in Méjanes and are in charge of the Petit Train, agriculture, and the horse-riding trail.
Xavier tells us some of his memories :
“Every year, a bit before Christmas, packed with eels and Méjanes’s rice, my father, brother, and I go spend a day with Mister Ricard at his house in Signes. We always wait for that day with a lot of excitement. At the table, Mister Ricard asks us many questions about the progression of the works and projects in Méjanes. He is interested in everything and every detail and shows that he cares greatly about all of us. At each meeting, we get to discover the latest technological gadgets that leave us speechless.
Eugène and I are fond of bulls. My father, on the contrary, isn’t so much. One day in 1975, we are playing the lottery organized every Sunday at the Méjanes restaurant. On that day, we win a cow that soon after has calves. We tell that great news to Mister Ricard, who shows a lot of enthusiasm and declares that he would like for us to give the manade name of Paul Ricard to our new little cattle farm. My father doesn’t agree, but Paul Ricard, seemingly unhappy, replies to our father: “Who’s the boss here?”. This is how aged 12, my brother and I started to rear our own bulls!”.
