Its 8.16 meters long can hold 25 million grains. This Saturday, June 3, in Saint-Martin-Boulogne, a team of fourteen people from all over the France and neighboring Belgium unveiled its pepper tree, fruit of more than a year of work, and delighted a record until then in the hands of the Canadians (4.98m).
A bailiff and certified quantity surveyors were present to attest to the measurements of the 68.7 centimeter diameter beech object, which weighs more than a ton. All this data will be sent to the Guinness book, the book that lists since 1955 exploits and performances recognized internationally.
"Not far from 1100 hours just in studies"
Competing for the title of the largest pepper tree in the world: this funny idea was launched in January 2022 during a live animated on Facebook by a woodturning professional, Eric Brachet, whose workshop is happy to open to visitors. Its spectators, semi-professional or amateur, attend from Toulon, Castelnaudary or Normandy, and are between 23 and 75 years old.
The joke quickly turns to the project, which requires many technical exchanges upstream of its manufacture. "Not far from 1100 hours just in studies," laughs the trainer. A puzzle because the pepper tree, to have a chance of winning over its rival across the Atlantic, must be able to function, inclined at 30 °.
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By dint of rallying the Pas-de-Calais every weekend to cut wood and work on engineering, real friendships ended up being forged around the giant utensil, which encroached on the free time of all the participants between the many difficulties to lift, the assembly of the elements and the blank assembly. Challenge met, even if 20,000 euros still remain to be found to complete the budget. "The pepper tree is for sale!" says Éric Brachet, who would see it in the hands of a restaurateur. Notice to amateurs...
