In the heart of the Loire Valley, the Château de la Bourdaisière has been home to a tomato kitchen garden-conservatory for almost 25 years. At the time, Prince Louis Albert de Broglie had just acquired the estate and began cultivating some thirty varieties of heirloom tomatoes brought back from India and ordered from Kokopelli in Canada and the United States. The man who was just beginning to be known as the “Prince Gardener” took up the game, happily rediscovering the emotions of his childhood and the pleasure of biting into a “real” tomato with its amazing taste. He then decided to create a sanctuary where he would cultivate heirloom tomatoes, making them known and studying them to uncover their medicinal and cosmetic virtues and rediscover their richness.
The collection soon expanded to include many new varieties, thanks to the participation of collectors and botanical gardens from all over the world.