In the Parc national de La Réunion, get to know Lauriane Leichnig, farmer and craftswoman - Ti Brin Nature

In Saint-Philippe, on the heights of Le Baril, Lauriane perpetuates a typically Reunionese craft: vacoa weaving. In her Ti Brin Nature boutique, she offers handmade creations - bertels, vannes, baskets, tents - made from the leaves of this emblematic tree of Reunion's coastline. Grown without chemicals, the leaves are dried, cut into strands and woven using traditional techniques. Some of these products are now stamped "Esprit parc national" Esprit parc nationalin recognition of their link to the region and their environmentally-friendly production.

I'm a farmer as well as a craftswoman. I'm passionate about working with vacoa fiber. Vacoa has long been found on Réunion Island, often on the coast. We have a lot of it in Saint-Philippe in the south. It's a tree that can grow to around 10 m in height. We dry the leaves and then I use them to make vacoa creations.

In my business, I have certain products that are stamped Esprit Parc National. These are traditional objects, i.e. "bertels", the country backpack, "tents" for going to the fairground market, shopping or going to the beach, "vannes" too, a traditional object that was once used to sort rice, lentils, brede...and even today it's an object that's found a lot among the Reunionnese.

The use of vacoa on Reunion Island, the weaving of its leaves, goes back a very long way. In the past, it was used to transport spices, and later to build roofs. In fact, in my family, my grandmothers and my mother worked with vacoa, so it's a tradition that's been passed down.