Living a unique experience in ' the belly of Marseille'

An unusual visit of the M.I.N ' National interest Market' of Marseille

Discover the backstages of the National interest market in the Arnavaux district in Marseille. Immerse yourself into fresh food and meet local producer and wholesalers who want to share their passion.

Published on 6 December 2021

Jade Orengo

Marseille in 3 words

Wonderful, diverse, native.
My favourite neighbourhood

Les Goudes, and its quiet side (in the off-season) for sipping a drink and having an aperitif facing the sunset.

Discovery of the “belly of Marseille”

Living the experience of the history of the MIN

It is 4.40 am when I passed by the great barriers which allow us to access this place where I have never been. Yet I have often passed by with my car. I am welcomed by the guide, Philippe as the others attendees and invite us to park our car in a car-park closer to the entrance. It is dark but there is already a lot of activity here !

Once the group has been formed, we can start the visit. Philippe starts explaining to us how the market was created, celebrating its 50 years in 2022. Previously, it used to take place in Cours julien,today, there is only the producers market left. In 1972, it moved in order to make the supply of goods easier: it has become one of the greatest enomic and logistical point of the region !

Local products

We start our tour the discovery of the producers area which is the biggest area deducated to local farmers in France! agriculture is not the main asset if you compare to the indefinable Rungis. The farmers of the region and neighbourhood area, offer their fresh food to restaurants owners, groceries and any others catering trade.

Settled down from 2 am this morning, it is already time for them to pack up their stalls and to leave to go to the markets or take care of their harvests !

A product that catches my eye : the Marseille salad…You heard me right ! Lionel explained to us it has been harvested by his family in the 14 th district of Marseille.

Pumkins, turnips, aubergines… Colours are gorgeous and are probably even more amazing in the beginning of the summer !

…and the whole world

Then we are heading to the wholesalers area who try to hunt the best vegetables and fruits. For example, that’s exactly Samy’s case, commercial manager of Primavera Frutta , he make us try the “citron caviar” ‘ caviar lemon’which has a huge interest for the chefs of the great tables of Marseille.

Pomegranates, apples, mandarins, mangoes… My appetite is whetted by the sight of all these magnificent fruit and vegetables stalls.

Good to know

At the moment, Buying fresh products in the MIN is forbidden for individuals since it is only for purchase in bulk. However to reply in a high volume of requests, the MIN is going to prepare some vegetables and fruits baskets dedicated to individual and depending on incomings and seasons.

Meeting and sharing

A Friendly moment

After a pleasant moment shared with the producers and wholesalers who are happy to teach us more about their daily life. We are setting up to the Cressonière brasserie. Here, every morning workers of the market gather together in order to share a croissant or café, or even a more susbstancial dish such as a good ‘tartiflette’!

Nous partageons alors nous aussi un petit déjeuner (très) matinal, mais surtout convivial et chaleureux, afin de repartir de plus belle à la découverte de ce marché surprenant.

We also share a early morning breakfast, but above all convivial and warm

Learning about the different jobs in the market

The guide take us to the 2 unusual places.Our first stop : ” Marseille cheeses”, a giant massive fridge full of cheese and others local dairies. It is a pity that we cannot bring back some pieces. ‘ Truffle brie’ is tempting me for the Christmas holidays !

After smelling so many different scents, heading to the ‘cavendish banana murisserie’ we are welcomed by Jean-Pierre. He explains to us the different steps of the ripening of the fruit mainly from the ‘Cote d’ivoire’. Also, smells are here too especially when he opens the room where magic happens..But I can’t tell you more, feel free to discover this bouquet of scents and colours by yourself…