OurPlant: Chicory

Chicory is a humble blue-flowered plant whose roasted root has been enjoyed in Europe since the 1800s as a rich, coffee-like drink. With its toasty, slightly bitter flavour, natural sweetness, and naturally caffeine-free profile, chicory offers a comforting ritual at any time of day. It is also naturally rich in inulin, a prebiotic fibre that has made chicory a modern favourite for those seeking a gentler alternative to coffee.

Our chicory is grown in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, where cool climates and sandy soils create ideal growing conditions. After harvest, the roots are carefully washed, dried, roasted, and ground to develop their distinctive caramel and hazelnut notes. And to bring a little more joy to every cup, we'd like you to meet Chicory—our cheerful mascot inspired by the blue chicory flower and the French roots of our story.

A Long History, A New Chapter

Chicory has been eaten and sipped since ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where it was valued both as food and as a medicinal plant.

Chicory has been part of everyday life in France for generations, traditionally enjoyed as a roasted, coffee‑like drink at home and in cafés. Today, this heritage ingredient is making a quiet comeback: people are rediscovering its naturally caffeine‑free profile, its comforting roasted taste, and the presence of inulin, a prebiotic fiber linked to digestive wellness. Chicory brings together the pleasure of a rich, aromatic cup and a more mindful, body‑friendly ritual – a classic French habit, reimagined formodern wellness.

From Our Fields to Your Cup

For me, chicory starts in the fields of northern France, where hardy plants quietly grow those long, fleshy roots I grew up smelling in Orchis. In autumn, the roots are pulled from the soil, cleaned and trimmed, just as I remember seeing them around my grandparents’ town.

They are then sliced into small pieces, gently dried and slowly roasted until they turn deep brown and fill the air with that familiar, caramelised chicory aroma I’ve known since childhood. Once roasted, the chicory is ground or transformed into a soluble powder, ready to be used just like coffee.

In your kitchen or favourite café, all you need to do is add hot water or milk and stir. In a few seconds, you have a warm, roasted, naturally caffeine‑free drink that carries a little of my Orchis memories into your day.

How We Source & Craft

We work with growers who cultivate chicory specifically for its roots, selected for their high inulin content and ideal roasting qualities.

After harvest, the roots are cleaned, dried, and slowly roasted to bring out natural caramel, nutty, and lightly bitter notes before being milled into a fine powder that dissolves easily in hot water or milk.