Fragrance house Robertet has announced that it has taken an equity stake in Plantes Aromatiques du Diois, a French company that specialises in organic essential oils and aromatic plants. The company is also involved with sustainable development and fair trade channels of organic aromatic plants on a global scale.
It is hoped the partnership will create organic flavour and fragrance expertise centres that can better serve the rapidy expanding organic market and Robertet says the association will enable it to offer innovative solutions for the development of certified organic products in the fragrance, beauty and food sectors.
Based in northern Provence, Plantes Aromatiques du Diois was established in 1999 by Michel Meneuvrier in association with an agricultural co-op of aromatic and medicinal plant producers. It still sources local production (Provence, Southern Alps, Vercors), but has also developed a worldwide network of partners who supply organically certified essential oils and plants. It currently boasts 102 partners spread across 27 countries, including Madagascar, India, and North Africa.
The company is also a founding member of the Bio-Equitable Association and each year implements a number of local community economic development projects, which help form long-term relationships between local farmers and client users.
Meneuvrier will continue to manage the operations of Plantes Aromatiques du Diois.
Robertet also holds equity in Charabot and says this latest investment underlines its commitment to maintaining a lead role in the global aromatic naturals market and anticipation of the needs of the fragrance and flavour markets.
