In the heart of Provence: the Roads of Lavender

In the heart of Provence:
the Roads of Lavender

by Max BERTAGNA

Called "daughter of the Garrigue" it led the great perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain to say, “Lavender is one of the most noble and magnificent products among all the essential oils”. But it also evokes, with a little nostalgia, the recollection of our grandmothers who used bags of lavender flowers to perfume the linen cupboard.

The roads of lavender are easy to follow; they wind under the sun, from the plateau of Valensole to Digne, from the village of Sault to the Verdon country, from Buëch to the Provençal Drôme.
Here the fields of lavender haloed with this beautiful mauve colour, climb up to the foot of the mountains. Let yourself be guided by your senses, inhale its bewitching fragrance that will intoxicate your heart!

Lavender and its history

We know its benefactions since Antiquity. In the Greek and Roman civilizations, where prosperity and cleanness were widespread, it was often quoted for the uses we know today: perfume, medicine and body care. It is present throughout the centuries thanks to its virtues. Saint Hildegarde (1098 - 1179) quotes it for the preparation of eye drops. In 1478 the Roy René buys lavender essence in Provence to offer it to his lady. In Provence, during the Great Plague, it is often used to fight against the disease: plasters, fumigations and vinegar. The writer Jacques Teyssier, initiator of the Lavender Parade in Digne, explains that lavender harvesting consolidated the dwindling economic situation in mountain areas as from the end of the XIXth century. A whole tradition then developed, which today is no more than folklore. People are swarming in all directions, invading the hillsides, sickle in hand, bag on the shoulder, cutting the flowers all day long under a blazing sun. The donkey is a precious auxiliary because he carries the bags to the distillery, and on the outward journey he brings the necessary food to the lavender cutters. From 1905, faced with the increasing demand of the perfumers, attempts were made to cultivate lavender plants. These attempts proved decisive, thereby opening the way to the development of this agronomy, which increased its production between both wars under the direct instigation of the perfumers of Grasse. Between 1920 and 1960, the production of lavender widely contributed to the wealth of this dry mountain area of the southeast of France, which until then was very difficult to valorise due to its dryness and poverty. In 1960, more than 150 tons of essential oil were produced … A record! In 1992, with the competition of imports and synthetic products, the production was sagging.

Lavender and Lavandin

Today, many still confuse lavender and lavandin. Both cultivated in Provence, each of these plants have very specific uses. There are 2 sorts of lavender: "aspic", which grows below 800 metres; its essence is rich in camphor and it blooms in August, and the "true", more known under the name of " fine lavender ", which grows between 500 and 1500 metres. This type is sought after for its subtle fragrance; it is used in perfumery, pharmacy and aromatherapy.

Lavandin is a sterile hybrid resulting from the natural crossing by pollination of the bees of two other sorts of lavender. The culture of the lavandin developed as from 1930; much more productive than lavender, it represents 2000 to 3 000 kilos of flowers by hectare. This very flower-bearing plant is suitable on the argilo-calcareous plateaux of High Provence and adapts very well to their dry and sunny summers. Thanks to its vigour, the lavandin releases abundant essential oil, which is used for industrial products (detergents, cosmetics).

The controlled label of origin and Bio Lavender

Faced with an increasing demand for this type of essential oil in the aromatherapy, the producers got organised to produce guaranteed essential oil, because this guarantee is a warrant of seriousness for foreign buyers. The controlled label of origin " essential oil of lavender of High Provence " was established in 1981. It enables identifying a production of very high quality concerning only the essential oil of fine lavender. The geographic area concerns 284 municipalities of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the High Alps, the Drôme and Vaucluse. The Bio lavender guarantees methods of production: neither pesticide nor any other chemical may be used. It is guaranteed by an “AB” label and is not confined to a specific geographic zone. In 2001 the production of Bio lavender represented 400 hectares, it is progressing regularly; Bio lavandin represented 250 hectares.

An important economic contribution

Thanks to the application of a "reflation plan of lavender production ", the development of this culture has been boosted. Furthermore, it serves to valorise poor and rocky agricultural grounds, dry mountain areas between 600 and 1200 metres where other sorts would be very difficult to develop, considering the aridity of the climate in addition to the already expressed constraints. In 2001, lavender production covered a surface of approximately 5 000 hectares. About 500 ha. are intended for the production of flowers, 4 500 ha. for the essential oil. The turnover of the produced essential oil represents approximately 4 million euro.
In 2001, this production represented 35 tons of cloned essential oil and 25 tons of cultivated essential oil. Today there are 400 lavender productions in France. 80 % of the production is collected by “producers' organisations”. The lavender sector is recovering its letters of nobility, the production is revitalising after some slack years, and it is becoming a "fashionable" plant again. According to the estimations of the CIHEF (Inter-professional Committee of French Essential Oil), they forecast an important development by 2004, bringing the quantity to more than 80 tons of essential oil.

The Lavandin production

Today the production of French lavandin essences represents approximately 1200 tons. The total surface of lavandin has increased from 17 000 hectares in 2000 to 17 500 ha. in 2002. There are several varieties of lavandin: lavandin Grosso, lavandin Abrial, Great lavandin, lavandin Sumian. The progress of lavandins is regulated. During the 1999 campaign, the CIHEF adopted a policy of voluntary mastery of the harvest volumes stemming from the production, as from the 2000 harvest. This action assures the regularity of supplies and the market is able to absorb the consequences of quantitative variations of the offer inherent to the natural character of this product.

Distilleries and companies, factors of employment

Several essential oil traders implanted their company within or near to production areas, thereby favouring the local employment of several hundred persons. The distilleries, which work in full speed during the harvest periods from July till September, are spread over the whole production area. We register more than 150. Lavender and lavandin also greatly contribute to the tourist renown of the regions where they are produced. An association " Les Routes de la Lavande ", created in 1996, gathers together the professionals (producers, distillers, farm accommodation and catering) of 4 counties: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Drôme, the High Alps and Vaucluse. All the lovers of Provence met this year in the village of Ferrassières, at 1000 metres on the Ventoux foothills, in the heart of lavender fields, to attend the " Land of Lavender " festival.

Still regarding creating employment, we must stress the importance of the dry bouquets of lavender. They are composed with flowers selected for their intense blue colour, which persists after drying. This specific variety is essentially cultivated in the Drôme and Vaucluse. The harvest is made by hand or by machine when the lavender is in full bloom. The bouquets are then aired, and then they are cleaned and calibrated in autumn. The production potential is estimated at 500.000 bouquets a year.

To conclude, we precise that a study made in 2001 revealed that the outlets of lavender in aromatherapy increase by 15 % a year. The refined perfumery using lavender knows a renewal of success. France produces 70% of the world production of essential oil of lavender, the other producing countries being Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine. 80 % of the French production is exported, especially towards the United States. We count 1800 lavandin producers. France produces 90% of the world production of essential oil of lavandin. This production is almost totally exported to cover the needs of the companies of formulation companies or washing powder manufacturers throughout the world.

The lavender professionals testify

Michel Blanc is a farmer at Ferrassières in the Drôme. He cultivates lavender, and this enabled him to open 5 guest houses and 2 rural shelters. He exclaims " if there’s no more lavender tomorrow, there will be no tourists, painters nor photographers anymore ".

Gilles Picard is a guide. His aim and activities are to make people discover plants and especially be active by making them sensitive to the changes of smells and colours. Botanical circuits, nice-smelling paths, are among his priorities to establish a tourism pole.

Corinne Dormant, manageress of the association " Route de la Lavande ", explains: " we work with four tourist information offices and local committees of the Alps of High Provence, the Drôme, the High Alps and Vaucluse. Our idea is to present the lavender professions. Is it a fashion? Today, young people are greatly attracted to natural products. We select the public searching for natural tourism because our production is rather fragile. The development of the tourism in the farm? Yes, but with a lot of precaution. We also want to protect the "land produce" aspect, representing craftwork, although within our association we don’t separate the small firms from the big ".

Michele and Jean-Paul Angelvin produce lavender and lavandin on the plateau of Valensole. Michele stresses: "what harms the producers is the use of synthetic products which imitate the natural product ". How does she see the future? " The farmers must be courageous to work, because quotas have been imposed from an administrative point of view. There are approximately 1800 lavandin producers in the Alps of High Provence. Since 1988 we noticed 50 % less producers, because the farmers grow old and there is nobody to take over. It is very difficult for a young farmer to set up because he must find lands, pay the equipment and dispose of a financial advance."

Jean-Paul and Michele are fighters. They decided to give another dimension to their profession. They open the doors of their farm “Campagne Neuve” in Valensole to the tourists travelling by. It is here that was born the first shop of direct sale of lavender. Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese and English discover a universe totally dedicated to lavender. By stage settings, films, visits, they are able to understand all the techniques of the culture and the distillation, and return home enriched with “lavender” discoveries and images.
Culinary surprises

We’ve kept a place for gastronomy, to end… don’t smile, let yourself enjoy a meal with lavender perfumed products. Taste and sample: saddle of hare with lavender flowers, sausages in honey and lavender, an ice dessert with perfumed biscuits, and to digest, the lavender liqueur or the herb teas which relax the anxious, and thanks to their antiseptic properties, calm many respiratory disorders. If it were necessary to have the opinion of a great cook, let us quote Eric Coisel, Chef of the “Chiberta” in Paris: " I would say that lavender has its place in the same way as a spice or another culinary ingredient. It is ideal to flavour a dish, providing that one knows how to dose it. "

* Documentation: ONIPPAM, inter-professional national Office of perfumery plants