Its 8.16 meters long can contain 25 million grains. This Saturday, June 3, in Saint-Martin-Boulogne, a team of fourteen people from all over France and neighboring Belgium unveiled their pepper plant, the fruit of more than a year of work, and broke a record hitherto at the hands of the Canadians (4.98m).
A bailiff and certified quantity surveyors were present to attest to the measurements of the beech object, 68.7 centimeters in diameter, which weighs more than a ton. All this data will be sent to the Guinness bookthe book which lists since 1955 internationally recognized exploits and performances.
“Not far from 1100 hours just in studies”
Compete for the title of the largest pepper mill in the world: this funny idea was launched in January 2022 during a live broadcast on Facebook by a woodturning professional, Éric Brachet, whose workshop is open to visitors. Its spectators, semi-professionals or amateurs, attend from Toulon, Castelnaudary or Normandy, and are between 23 and 75 years old.
The joke quickly turns to the project, which requires numerous technical exchanges before its manufacture. “Not far from 1100 hours just in studies”, laughs the trainer. A puzzle because the pepper mill, to have a chance of winning over its rival across the Atlantic, must be able to operate, tilted at 30°.
By dint of rallying the Pas-de-Calais every weekend to cut wood and work on engineering, real friendships ended up being tied around the giant utensil, which encroached on everyone’s free time. the participants between the many difficulties to overcome, the embly of the elements and the blank embly. Challenge met, even if 20,000 euros are still to be found to balance the budget. “The pepper plant is for sale! “, specifies Éric Brachet, who would see it in the hands of a restorer. Notice to fans…