AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

1

Alpes de Haute-Provence

Here your desires take over!

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

2

THE SCENTS OF

THE ALPES DE HAUTE PROVENCE

The Alpes de Haute-Provence has a centuries-old tradition of herbalism and perfume plants. The gathering of medicinal and aromatic plants and their use in cookery, the pharmaceutical industry or the making of liqueurs, is part of the heritage. Apart from their sole cultivation, lavender, hybrid lavender and aromatic plants have become a major tourist attraction for the Alpes de Haute-Provence LAVENDER Pages 3/4 AROMATIC PLANTS Page 5 GARDENS Pages 6/7 THE SCENTS CLUSTER Pages 8/9

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

3

LAVENDER OF HAUTE-PROVENCE (AOC)

The Blue gold of Haute Provence HISTORY First exploited wild, lavender was cultivated from the end of XIXth century, at the same time as other aromatic and perfume plants whose essential oils supplied the perfumeries of Grasse. Just after the First World War, the cultivation of lavandin (a hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender) was to spread widely and supplant lavender in its traditional cultivation areas. Nowadays lavender, regressing despite the creation of a "lavande fine de Haute-Provence" AOC has taken shelter in the pays de Forcalquier around Simiane and the Plateau d'Albion. Hybrid lavender still covers large surface areas on the Valensole plateau at the gateway to the Verdon. From a distance, the smoking chimney stacks of the distilleries indicate the presence of the activities linked to its cultivation: distilling of the plants generally takes place from July to the end of August according to the species. Many of these distilleries, whether private or as cooperatives, can be visited. EXHIBITION "LAVANDE ET PLANTES AROMATIQUES EN HAUTE PROVENCE" IN THE SALAGON HAUTE PROVENCE ETHNOBOTANICAL MUSEUM IN MANE. A very educational exhibition with amusing and sensory trails accessible to the visually impaired. The "jeu des labiées" enables you to see all the field flowers of Haute Provence, the "jeu des senteurs" uses only touch and smell and lastly a miniature lavender field is designed to be touched.

Contact: 04 92 75 70 50 -www.musee-de-salagon.com EVENTS Fête de la lavande in Valensole in July This festival demonstrates different aspects of lavender right in the heart of the plateau. All day long, exhibitors and producers propose activities, the sale of derived products and visits of fields or even distilleries every day to the sound of the folk groups.

Contact: 04 92 74 90 02 –: www.valensole.fr Lavender month in Digne les Bains with its traditional Corso de la Lavande in August In Digne-les-Bains, at the beginning of August, the Corso de la Lavande is a complete festival for all with 2 processions and floats decorated and perfumed with lavender, majorettes and musicians from all over Europe. From 25th to 29th, the lavender days provide many activities in the festival and in the town with a demonstration of lavender-cutting in the fields and lavender distillation in the distillery.

Contact: 04 92 36 62 62 –: www.ot-dignelesbains.fr La Lavande en fête in Esparron de Verdon in August (Lavender Fair) Many exhibitors and producers will be present to celebrate the most Provencal of flowers.

Contact: 04 92 77 15 97

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

4

DISCOVERY Discovering traditional crafts on the Valensole plateau The visit of the traditional distillery in la Ferme Campagne Neuve gives a presentation of the outfit, information on the markets, on the different varieties of lavender and the various uses of essential oils. In season (from June to September), guided tour of the distillery. Out of season, video projection for groups, please book first.

Booking compulsory. Contact: 04 92 74 80 53 Visit of the town still in Thorame-Haute The still is located around 1 km from the centre of the village. The visits takes place during the distillation period (approx. from 1st to 20th August, according to climate conditions, please enquire beforehand).

Contact: 04 92 83 91 04 Visit of the Mézel distillery Old-fashioned lavender harvesting and traditional distillation. Guided excursion, meeting with local producers. Harvesting demonstration in the field.

Contact: 04 92 36 62 62 Le Moulin Brun in Aubenas-les-Alpes, Visit of the distillery From the farm to the distillery, from the cutting to essential oil, discover the production of olfactory nectars which are so characteristic of the Alpes de Haute-Provence. Guided visit with commentary by the producer.

Contact: 04 92 76 61 19

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

5

AROMATIC PLANTS

Over the years, other plants have been cultivated besides lavender and are a patchwork of colour in the Haute-Provence landscape: clary sage, mint, tarragon, hyssop, thyme, etc. These vast stretches of cultivated lavender are a beautiful sight, with the area of Puimichel for perfumery and herbalism crops, and the pays de Forcalquier, between Lure and the Luberon, with its aromatic plants. From a distance, the smoking chimney stacks of the distilleries indicate the presence of the activities linked to its cultivation: distilling of the plants generally takes place from July to the end of August according to the species. Many of these distilleries, whether private or as cooperatives, can be visited. Beyond their industrial and traditional uses which have a big impact on the landscape, aromatic plants play a large part in the everyday life of the inhabitants of Haute-Provence, in a more secret but certainly deeper manner. They have considerable knowledge of the plant kingdom and its medicinal, for food, ornamental, symbolic, etc. PRODUCERS Société Coopérative Agricole des Plantes à Parfum de Provence 04150 Simiane La Rotonde Tel: 04 92 75 93 12 Association des producteurs d’Huiles essentielles De Haute Provence 04000 Digne Les Bains Tel: 04 92 30 57 57 Office National Interprofessionnel des Plantes à Parfum, Aromatiques et Médicinales 04130 Volx Tel: 04 92 79 34 46 Comité Economique des Plantes à Parfum Aromatiques et Médicinales 04100 Manosque Tel: 04 92 72 47 62 EVENTS Foire à l’herboristerie à Saint Etienne Les Orgues on 14th July (Herbalism Fair) A day of Provencal folk events, conferences on perfume plants, activities on the theme of herbalism and apothecaries and competitions on the subject of aromatic plants and how they are cultivated. Contact: 04 92 73 00 22 Journées Internationales des Huiles Essentielles in Digne les Bains in September (International Day of Essential Oils) Various conferences and exhibitions on essential oils and plants will be presented during these two days. Contact: 04 92 32 03 83 DISCOVERY STAYS Itinéraire paysan: « Chemin de senteurs et de couleurs » (Peasant itineraries: “Scent and colour trail” Between Saint-Etienne-les-Orgues and Cruis, at le Coulet, Françoise and Laurent Milesi welcome you to their land filled with colour and scents. They are heirs to a family know-how, but also the hybrid lavender plants which were planted fourteen years ago and stand out against the foothills of the Montagne de Lure. Laurent will tell of how he runs his farm, his research into the shades and colours of lavender and also lavender’s properties in aromatherapy. You will also discover the whole production chain for the collected flower, from its cultivation to sorting and using the stem for compost. The visit ends with a distillation demonstration using a little copper still.

Contact: Françoise and Laurent MILESI Tel.: 04 92 77 05 63

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

6

GARDENS

The gardens of the Alpes de Haute-Provence with their infinite variety of plants are real scent museums and well worth a visit. Places for discovery and learning, dreams and relaxation, they offer programmed visits or a restful walk. LA THOMASSINE in Manosque: A biodiversity house and a quest for forgotten tastes. With its 4-hectare orchard and its 5 000 m2 vegetable garden, la Thomassine is a living museum of forgotten plants and the place to discover wild and domestic biodiversity. Its collection includes a 12 000-tree orchard-conservatory with 290 old fruit-tree varieties and a vegetable garden with dozens of varieties which have all but disappeared. It has an exhibition room, a video room, a Mediterranean forest discovery path, water mines, an aqueduct, a sundial, a fish pond and a picnic area. La Thomassine is managed by the Luberon Park which received the " Biosphere Reserve" label in 1998.

Contact: Tel: 04 92 87 74 40 LE JARDIN BOTANIQUE DES CORDELIERS à Digne-les-Bains The Cordeliers botanical garden which is part of the routes de la lavande circuit, has 350 species of aromatic, medicinal and food plants all from the plant heritage of Haute-Provence. The basic structure of the site respects the architecture of the Medieval knot garden’s square plots. The surrounding buildings date back to 13th century, when the Couvent des Cordeliers was built.

Tel: 04 92 36 62 62 THE CHÂTEAU DE SAUVAN AND ITS GARDENS in Mane the “Petit Trianon” of Haute-Provence is a Historical listed Monument with the elegant aspect of a pleasure castle. Built in the pure classical style of 18th century, its sandstone facades rise above a gentle green alcove. Four hectares of French formal gardens are in the course of development.

04 92 75 05 64 –www.chateaudesauvan.com LE JARDIN DES PAPILLONS in Digne-Les-Bains (BUTTERFLY GARDEN) This garden is entirely devoted to butterflies and the public can see around a hundred species, which represents over half the species listed in France, flying free in ideal natural surroundings. The reproduction and establishment of species are possible thanks to the conservation of the caterpillars’ host plants and the cultivation of nectar-bearing flowers which ensure food for the butterflies. The arrangement of old terraces in the Parc Saint-Benoît in the Geological Reserve of Digne-les-Bains makes it possible to provide the butterflies with the space, flower and light that they need to acclimatize. From April to September, visitors can take a guided tour of the fascinating and interdependent world of plants and butterflies with a nature guide.

Contact: 04 92 36 70 70 www.prosperpine.org

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

7

L'ABBAYE DE VALSAINTES in Simiane la Rotonde An abbey in a rose-garden: l’Abbaye de Valsaintes … 5 mn from the Rotonde A flamboyant marriage of the mineral and plant worlds. In a historic and cultural site which dates back a thousand years, the Abbaye de Valsaintes is set in the middle of a splendid rose-garden. This Provencal Cistercian abbey, rebuilt during XVIIth century, is delightful to discover in a charming garden of over 700 varieties of old and modern roses. A touristic, floral, historical and cultural site in the pays de Forcalquier, the Abbaye de Valsaintes is worth a visit. Thanks to the enormous work of a whole team, the park is adorned with magnificent roses in aesthetic surroundings developed for visitors, with terraces, paths in the shade of different types of trees and ornamental plants. The abbey-church whose restoration was finished in 2000 can also be visited, with its beautiful Romanesque vaults, its baroque chancel, its flat cupola and its stained-glass windows. A magical place of unsuspected wealth.

Contact: Telephone: 04 92 75 94 19 – Site Internet: www.valsaintes.org LES JARDINS DE SALAGON in Mane: an open-air guide book and an aesthetic creation. Salagon is a heritage site whose wealth lies in both the quality of the building which it shelters (a historical monument comprised of a XIIth century Romanesque church and a Renaissance priory with its outbuildings) and in the demanding work of research and valorisation which has been conducted there for the last twenty years. Around the monument, the ethnobotanical gardens provide plant preservation and know-how. Salagon develops the principle of ethnobotany which studies the relationships between man and his plant environment through 5 gardens: The medieval garden, a contemporary creation which suggests the aspect, charm and mystery of medieval gardens, the garden of simples with domestic flowers for medicinal use in Haute Provence, the garden of simples which offers a collection of sweet-smelling plants for your senses, the garden of modern times which traces the geographical origin of plants, the garden of the downy oak and lastly the garden of the noria.

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

8

THE ALPES DE HAUTE PROVENCE SCENTS CLUSTER

Haute Provence is rich in perfume and aromatic plants, some of which have medicinal and soothing virtues, and thanks to the scents of Haute Provence and their properties, quality products have been created by companies in the region to calm and relax mind and body. PAYS DE FORCALQUIER: FLAVOURS AND SCENTS COMPETITIVE CLUSTER The Comité Interministériel d'Aménagement et de Développement du territoire has recognized the Pays de Forcalquier as a "Perfumes, aromas, scents and flavours" competitive cluster, in the same way as the town of Grasse. The scents and flavours of the Alpes de Haute Provence are therefore a major element for development in the department’s industry. The Université Européenne de Saveurs et Senteurs (European University of Scents and Flavours) in Forcalquier Founded in XIIIth century on the site of a former Benedictine priory, the couvent des Cordeliers is one of the oldest Franciscan convents in France.The UESS has installed 2500 m² of rooms on 6 levels, distributed in different areas: training, meeting and exhibition rooms, offices. The originality of the place resides in its sensory analysis auditorium which is unique in the PACA region. Created in a former chapel annex of the Convent, which hosts, apart from a professional cookery laboratory, 20 sensory analysis desks and makes it possible to carry out both sensory analysis and consumer tests on liquids (wine, oils, etc.), food (foodstuffs, ready meals, etc.), perfumes and aromatic compositions. Equipped with perfume organs, this area enables the creation of scent products (eau de toilette, shower gels, home fragrances). The promotional activity of the Scents and Flavours sector is carried out mainly through amusing, recreational days and workshops devoted to awakening the senses and discovering scents and flavour products. Various initiation courses enable a wide range of people, and particularly children, to discover the worlds of taste and smell. The perfumer’s workshop in L'Université Européenne des Senteurs et Saveurs in Forcalquier Designed by Lucien Ferrero, a great Grasse perfumer, this workshop enables beginners to acquire or the more advanced to improve their olfactory knowledge. The aim is to learn the bases of the composition of a perfume through practice, and create, like the professionals, a personalized and unique perfume. The UESS has installed 2500 m² of rooms on the site of a former Benedictine priory, the Couvent des Cordeliers, one of the oldest Franciscan convents in France. The originality of the place resides in its sensory analysis auditorium which is unique in the PACA region. Amusing, recreational days and workshops devoted to awakening the senses.

Tel. 04 92 72 50 68 www.uess.fr

"Collines de provence" in Mane In 1990 Monsieur Rossi, then a cabinet-maker, decided to set up in fragrances. He created "la Luberonne" in Saint Michel l'Observatoire, a small enterprise of 5 people inventing home fragrances. In 2003, the company was bought up by the Provence Nature Développement group, moved to Mane en Provence and became "Collines de Provence" with 17 salaried workers. The quality and authenticity of the 300 creations stems from this region of Provence and a unique age-old know-how in the universe of natural and organic fragrances and cosmetics. (paraben-free, phenoxyethanol-free, PEG-free). These creations come in various ranges with evocative names such as "Secrets d' Armoire", "Ambiance Bastide", "Douceur d'Olivier"… In 2011 a new development will allow visitors to get to know the firm better: In addition to the factory shop, 45-minute factory visits of a fragrance workshop are organized every week, and in July and August on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Booking on 04.92.76.57.62 www.collinesdeprovence.com

AALLPPEESS DDEE HHAAUUTTEE PPRROOVVEENNCCEE wwwwww..aallppeess--hhaauuttee--pprroovveennccee..ccoomm

9

L'Occitane in Manosque L’OCCITANE was created in 1976 by Olivier BAUSSAN. As a fragrance merchant and master-soap maker, its vocation is to make the colours, scents and traditions of Provence come alive in its skincare, beauty products and home products. The factory is located in Manosque and L’Occitane has a great number of shops all over the world. Factory visits are organised on a regular basis. The L’Occitane Museum in Manosque In addition to the factory visits that it has been organizing since 2004, L'Occitane now has a place which tells its story and its evolution. Video modules retrace the history of the firm from its launch in 1976 to its present international position via interviews of its founder, Olivier Baussan or of former employees. The plants which are representative of the brand are presented and highlighted by fragrance diffusers, and lastly a bouquet of films pays homage to the work done by producers all year round.

Free self-guided tour from Monday to Saturday 10 am to 7 pm ZI Saint Maurice ― 04100 Manosque

Tel 04 92 70 19 00 www.loccitane.com

Terre d'Oc in Villeneuve This young company is entirely dedicated to the creation of home fragrances and well-being products. Since it was set up in 1995, the company has been growing steadily. Unconventional and with a majority of women, everything here is made and packaged by hand and the 65 employees are all proud of the final product and of their own work. The key collection: "Memory of a moment", a range of fragrances delicately borrowed from collective memory … Nature after the rain, Siesta under the fig tree, Dance under the lime trees etc.…

Tel: 04 92 79 40 30 www.terredoc.com

LOTHANTIQUE A PEYRUIS The firm’s history began in the 1920s at the foot of the montagne de Lure when Joséphine (ancestor of Denis and Dominique Vogade) set up her perfume plant distillery. Little by little, soaps and toilet waters completed the range of products based on essential oils. The Peyruis-based firm makes body care well-being products with the scents of Haute de Provence (toilet waters, cosmetics, etc.) and home perfumes (incense, candles, home sprays, etc.)

Contact: 04 92 68 60 30 website: www.lothantique.com

LABORATOIRE D'AROMATHERAPIE IN THE CHÂTEAU OF SIMIANE LA ROTONDE (Aromatherapy laboratory) In the heart of the lavender fields, between Ventoux and Luberon, the Laboratoire Sainte Victoire has found refuge in the recently restored rooms of the medieval castle of Simiane la Rotonde. A specialist in aromatherapy introduces the visitors to the benefits of this age-old medicinal technique: introduction to the distillation of seasonal medicinal plants and the uses and properties of essential oils. Workshops for perfume and massage-oil making are organized during the summer.

Tel: 04 92 75 98 90 lsv@wanadoo.fr

PRESS KIT Isabelle DESBETS LD: +33 (0)4 92 31 82 17 Isabelle.desbets@alpes-haute-provence.com