Family-owned, local food and eye for detail – all of this and even more you can find at Casa Estañol in Saint-Rémy de Provence in the South of France. Not only will this place satisfy you with fresh, high-quality tapas-style small plates but it also gives visitors the opportunity to take home a little slice of France from their small boutique. Get inspired by their exceptionally presented food and their philosophy of respecting the environment and their customers while still maintaining a high standard of quality. Learn about what values SANVT and the restaurant have in common.
Spanish origins and family owned since 1962 – A quick journey into the past
Good food has been an important part of the Meynadier family since the early 1960s. In 1962, the first family-run restaurant, "Plage des Chalets", opened in the south of France, laying the foundation for the passion for cooking. This was followed by several other small gastronomic businesses run by the family, all of which were passed on to the family's descendants. Finally, in 2017, the "Casa Estañol" opened, where, due to the family's Spanish roots, mainly small tapas-style dishes were prepared. All locales share the approach of using ingredients from the region in the restaurant. In this way, they not only want to offer fresh, high-quality cuisine, but also to have as little impact on the environment as possible. Casa Estañol should be a place where everyone is welcome and feels at home.
Their philosophy: carefully selected ingredients and suppliers
The dishes, drinks and goods sold at the in-house-boutique at Casa Estañol are all selected according to a few important criteria: regionality, quality and sustainability. They make it a point of honour to work as closely as possible with their local suppliers.
Their list of suppliers, divided by product:
- Goat's cheese: La Fromagerie des Alpilles in Saint-Rémy de Provence
- Tomatoes: Éric Bres from the Coopérative Agricole de Saint-Rémy de Provence.
- Fish: Independent fisherman who sets out to work every morning in the Mediterranean.
- Beef: Manade Caillan in Saint-Rémy de Provence, bulls reared in the Alpilles, PDO certified.
- Fruit juices: Maison Benedetti in Cabannes, founded in 1948 by the grandparents, now run by the grandsons, a few kilometres from Saint Rémy, all organic.
- Olive oil: Moulin de Coudoux, also a few kilometres from Saint-Rémy, organic farming.
- Ketchup: Maison Bourgier & Fils, made exclusively with local products, no preservatives, no colourings, etc.
- Ice cream: Emkipop, home-made ice cream, made in Provence with local products, no colourings or preservatives.
- Aromatic herbs: from the kitchen garden on the restaurant terrace.
Other sustainable, circular economy actions:
- Their vegetable garden is watered using leftover restaurant water (from carafes, water from wine buckets, leftover water from customers' water glasses, water from cleaning vegetables, salad etc.).
- They offer reusable metal straws.
- Zero waste objective: everything is used or eaten by staff during meals.
- Biodegradable shop textiles, hand-embroidered in Saint-Rémy by a young woman.
- Range of organic and ecological cosmetics (solid soaps, kitchen deodorants, etc.).
To sum it all up simply, they not only work closely with local suppliers but they have an extensive sustainable approach at their restaurant.
Heat in the South of France: Extra breathable essentials provide relief
Summer in the South of France can get quite hot. In the kitchen or when serving in the sun, the need for breathable, flexible clothing becomes even more vital than it does in everyday life. Because we share the same approach of minimizing their carbon footprint in their business, we've teamed up with the restaurant and equipped the staff with our Essentials. Father, Fabrice, and daughter, Elise of the Meynadier family both wear our breathable essentials at work to cope with the hot weather during the French summer. Moreover, a uniform wardrobe creates a sense of togetherness, which is important in a family business.
Elise wears the Boyfriend T-shirt in white, along with the Boyfriend Chino in beige. Her father, the master behind the delicious food, also wears the Smart Chino (in black) and the white Polo Shirt. Whether T-shirt or Polo Shirt - both SANVT shirts are made of soft cotton (ELS or organic cotton) and are therefore not only extremely comfortable, but also thermoregulating. The Smart Chino is our second all-rounder in terms of breathability and flexibility: it is made from 97% organic cotton, 3% elastane and can release moisture in the fabric to the environment due to the light, micro-fine structure of the stretch fabric. In this way, the chino guarantees the perfect temperature balance: cooling in summer and retaining heat in winter.
SANVT x Casa Estañol - What do a fashion brand and a restaurant have in common?
Nutrition and fashion - you might think they are two completely different things. But they definitely have one thing in common: together they are responsible for more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, our food systems were responsible for at least 33% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Compared to the textile industry, which, according to the European Parliament, is responsible for 10% of global emissions (status: 2020). Additionally, it is to blame for unimaginable amounts of water pollution and the release of microplastics. It is more important than ever to opt for more sustainable solutions in both fields and to develop a more conscious approach to food and fashion.
Acting respectfully with nature and people
SANVT shares Casa Estañol's approach to doing business with as little impact on the environment and people as possible: "Sustainability aspects play a decisive role in the choice of materials. Here, however, our focus is clearly on durability. Although almost all of our products are made from certified organic cotton, we sometimes consciously choose not to. For example, we still produce our bestseller 'the perfect T-shirt' from 100% extra long staple cotton from the USA. This is not classically organic, but due to the extra long fibres, it is extremely high quality, significantly more robust and thus also much more durable than all the organic cotton available on the market. We select our production partners based on sustainable production criteria such as green energy production, GOTS certification and zero-waste pattern cutting capabilities." (Benjamin Heyd, Co-founder).
Family-run company - small team and transparency
While the Meynadier family has been making a name for itself in southern French gastronomy since the 1960s, the SANVT online shop has only existed for a few years. Nevertheless, there are a few parallels in the origins of the two companies. Benjamin Heyd founded the company in 2018 with his brother Felix and expanded the product portfolio of various premium basics in just a short time. Despite the larger product range, the internal team has remained small, thus enabling transparency and strengthening cohesion at the same time.
Follow the restaurant's journey on Instagram @casa_estanol or enjoy their beautiful food when in the area!