Daughter of shop traders, Michèle Sirot was born in Nangis (Seine-et-Marne) in the beautiful region of Brie with its rich, productive soil. After completing a business-accounting baccalaureate, Michèle married Gilles Sirot, orchard and nursery operator who had just taken over Ets Sirot, the family business. In 1972, Michèle Sirot set out to make her mark in the difficult business (particularly for women) of nursery farming for which she had discovered a hitherto unknown enthusiasm for the beauty of plants and vegetables. "At that time the company was located at Rozay-en-Brie in Seine-et-Marne, following its creation at Rungis Market on the site of the present MIN, before the latter was built in 1969. Today, the company is based at a 35-hectare site in Chevru, still in Seine-et-Marne. When my husband took over the running of the company, we had seventeen employees. The company specialises in nursery farming, i.e. we buy plants that we then develop. For a long time we grew cedar trees but then decided to diversify into producing other varieties of evergreen tree for hedges following the gradual disappearance of the latter. At the beginning, I was responsible for plant propagation before moving on to the nursery itself, which is a very demanding job physically that has to be done in all weathers.

I took over the running of the company eight years ago following my husband's death. We now have seven employees since we modernised the company with new materials, and my son Clément has joined us. Our flagship products are cane trees, conifers (including cypress trees) and evergreens (including photynia, choisya, elaeagnus, privet, osmanthus, among others) and deciduous trees. Our sales volumes are broken down as follows: 30% cane trees, 30% conifers, 25% fruit trees and 15% ornamental shrubs, and our loyal customer base includes landscape artists (90%) and retailers (10%). Our sales are made almost exclusively at Rungis Market where I have been coming for the last thirty years. Rungis is an outstanding product showcase with an international reputation that maintains its appeal by ensuring there are always enough producers and by providing a hub of exchange for professionals. "Rungis Market is unique and provides a wealth of quality products…”