Love at first sniff at L’Occitane in Provence
September 18, 2005 | 12:00am
I have been to Provence – that lovely region south of France – with Peter Mayle many, many times. In my mind.
My imaginary travels with this funny, bestselling British author-turned-Provence resident happened with every book he wrote. France, he confessed, was the country where he lost his gastronomic virginity. I was with him when he savored the rural chic of Provence, a place teeming with such delicious flavors "you can almost hear the flutter of taste buds."
With him, I tasted the asparagus that appears in spring, the mushrooms that loom in autumn, and the truffles that come in winter. He described each tasty experience so vividly, I swear I got hungry with every turn of the page.
It was love at first sniff for Mayle when he sought out the pungent but delicious cheese from Livarot, traced the most delectable frogs in Vosges, drank the therapeutic calcium-rich water in Vittel, and discovered the elite chicken of Bresse.
"Liberte, egalite, gastronomie!" Mayle exclaimed as he declared: "The religion of the French is food. And wine."
Last July, I finally fulfilled my fantasy of seeing Provence.There, I realized that Mayle didn’t exactly sniff the whole essence of Provence. Were his nostrils blocked by asparagus? Was he blinded by flying corks in Burgundy? Did he choke on too many mushrooms that he missed the other sensual pleasures of Provence?
Flying from Manila via KLM-Air France, I arrived at the airport of Manosque, warmly greeted by a driver who transported me to a dreamy village called Forcalquier. So dreamy I had to pinch myself to check if I wasn’t just watching one of those postcard-pretty movies. The roads were flanked by pristine fields with blooms of all colors and shapes. For the first time, I was seeing birds and butterflies of all colors freely flaunting their wings in a clean, blue horizon. Houses were in beige, topped by orange tiles, and the almost uniform look was broken by turquoise or purple or green window frames. The air was so clean, so fresh, so fragrant I thought the French might have sprayed a giant bottle of my favorite gentle cologne in the air.
What scent was that? I looked at the gracefully cascading hills, their slopes blanketed with lavender-colored flowers swaying with the breeze. Lavender? That’s it! It was lavender season in Provence.
Joining a group of l4 journalists from Asia, Australia and Europe on a lifestyle tour hosted by L’Occitane, we stayed at La Bastide Saint Georges, one of the most charming hotels I have ever seen.There was a main hotel building and I felt lucky I got my own cottage with a marvelous view of a modern pool amid a rustic, panoramic view that told me: All is beautiful with Provence.
Yes, Provence is L’Occitane country. It was here where L’Occitane, that famous fragrance, bodycare and skincare line found in 500 stores in 60 countries, began in l976 when a 23-year-old dreamer named Olivier Baussan bought an old-fashioned steam distiller from a friend. Olivier harvested wild rosemary from the fields of Provence, then using the almost antique distiller, he produced pure rosemary essential oil. He sold this oil at the local markets, and the all-natural product was a hit among the villagers! Inspired by his childhood in Provence, Olivier wanted to recreate and preserve the traditions of his beloved region.
Starting with five employes, including his wife and mother-in-law, Olivier began producing handmade shampoos, colognes, bath essences and soaps using the flowers and plants that grew wildly and abundantly in Provence. In l978, Olivier opened his first boutique in Volx, a village near Manosque.
L’Occitane, the name he chose for his company, refers to Occitanie, the ancient province that once covered the south of France, northeastern Spain and northern Italy. Olivier’s ambition was to mix traditions and ingredients from the Mediterranean region to create products for personal care and the home.
Olivier dreamt of building a company that celebrates the Mediterranean well-being. Discovering an abandoned soap factory, he became obsessed with the idea of reviving the art of soap-making in Marseille. Today, L’Occitane creates vegetable-based soaps known all over the world for their essential oils and fascinating, traditional shapes.
At the Plateau de Valensole, we saw the endless rows of lavender ready to be harvested and transformed into scents for L’Occitane’s line of products.
At Salagon, a wondrous garden with an ancient church, L’Occitane spread a delicious luncheon buffet under centuries-old trees for a picnic press conference. Nearby, we saw and sniffed some of the plants used in L’Occitane’s beauty products, such as verbena, lemongrass, sage, basil, thyme, bergamot, rosemary, juniper, narcissus, lime, immortelle (or everlasting), cade and olive trees.
Cade was originally used by shepherds to protect themselves from cuts, and L’Occitane has harnessed this wonder plant for the skincare line for men. Olive oil is important for its nourishing and healing properties.
Looking beyond Provence, Olivier discovered the anti-aging properties of almond oil from Corsica.
From Africa, L’Occitane harvests shea butter, a nourishing ingredient derived from the African shea tree from the Burkina Faso community where L’Occitane has established a bond with the women of the village.
In Manosque, L’Occitane brought our group of journalists on a tour of their humongous factory where we saw how the raw materials were transformed into beauty products. There, we stepped into a L’Occitane boutique typical of about 500 others worldwide. Entering it is like entering the heart of Provence. The scents are charming, the colors warm and welcoming, the people gracious.
This is the Provence that Peter Mayle did not see and sniff. A patch of paradise where scents linger on in the heart and mind.
Liberte, egalite, parfumerie! It is love at first sniff in Provence.
In the Philippines, L’Occitane has stores exclusively at Rustan’s Essenses.
KLM-Air France flies daily to France. For inquiries, call 887-7587, 887-4961 or 886-7548 or visit the KLM-Air France office at the RCBC Building at Ayala Avenue, Makati.
My imaginary travels with this funny, bestselling British author-turned-Provence resident happened with every book he wrote. France, he confessed, was the country where he lost his gastronomic virginity. I was with him when he savored the rural chic of Provence, a place teeming with such delicious flavors "you can almost hear the flutter of taste buds."
With him, I tasted the asparagus that appears in spring, the mushrooms that loom in autumn, and the truffles that come in winter. He described each tasty experience so vividly, I swear I got hungry with every turn of the page.
It was love at first sniff for Mayle when he sought out the pungent but delicious cheese from Livarot, traced the most delectable frogs in Vosges, drank the therapeutic calcium-rich water in Vittel, and discovered the elite chicken of Bresse.
"Liberte, egalite, gastronomie!" Mayle exclaimed as he declared: "The religion of the French is food. And wine."
Last July, I finally fulfilled my fantasy of seeing Provence.There, I realized that Mayle didn’t exactly sniff the whole essence of Provence. Were his nostrils blocked by asparagus? Was he blinded by flying corks in Burgundy? Did he choke on too many mushrooms that he missed the other sensual pleasures of Provence?
Flying from Manila via KLM-Air France, I arrived at the airport of Manosque, warmly greeted by a driver who transported me to a dreamy village called Forcalquier. So dreamy I had to pinch myself to check if I wasn’t just watching one of those postcard-pretty movies. The roads were flanked by pristine fields with blooms of all colors and shapes. For the first time, I was seeing birds and butterflies of all colors freely flaunting their wings in a clean, blue horizon. Houses were in beige, topped by orange tiles, and the almost uniform look was broken by turquoise or purple or green window frames. The air was so clean, so fresh, so fragrant I thought the French might have sprayed a giant bottle of my favorite gentle cologne in the air.
What scent was that? I looked at the gracefully cascading hills, their slopes blanketed with lavender-colored flowers swaying with the breeze. Lavender? That’s it! It was lavender season in Provence.
Joining a group of l4 journalists from Asia, Australia and Europe on a lifestyle tour hosted by L’Occitane, we stayed at La Bastide Saint Georges, one of the most charming hotels I have ever seen.There was a main hotel building and I felt lucky I got my own cottage with a marvelous view of a modern pool amid a rustic, panoramic view that told me: All is beautiful with Provence.
Yes, Provence is L’Occitane country. It was here where L’Occitane, that famous fragrance, bodycare and skincare line found in 500 stores in 60 countries, began in l976 when a 23-year-old dreamer named Olivier Baussan bought an old-fashioned steam distiller from a friend. Olivier harvested wild rosemary from the fields of Provence, then using the almost antique distiller, he produced pure rosemary essential oil. He sold this oil at the local markets, and the all-natural product was a hit among the villagers! Inspired by his childhood in Provence, Olivier wanted to recreate and preserve the traditions of his beloved region.
Starting with five employes, including his wife and mother-in-law, Olivier began producing handmade shampoos, colognes, bath essences and soaps using the flowers and plants that grew wildly and abundantly in Provence. In l978, Olivier opened his first boutique in Volx, a village near Manosque.
L’Occitane, the name he chose for his company, refers to Occitanie, the ancient province that once covered the south of France, northeastern Spain and northern Italy. Olivier’s ambition was to mix traditions and ingredients from the Mediterranean region to create products for personal care and the home.
Olivier dreamt of building a company that celebrates the Mediterranean well-being. Discovering an abandoned soap factory, he became obsessed with the idea of reviving the art of soap-making in Marseille. Today, L’Occitane creates vegetable-based soaps known all over the world for their essential oils and fascinating, traditional shapes.
At the Plateau de Valensole, we saw the endless rows of lavender ready to be harvested and transformed into scents for L’Occitane’s line of products.
At Salagon, a wondrous garden with an ancient church, L’Occitane spread a delicious luncheon buffet under centuries-old trees for a picnic press conference. Nearby, we saw and sniffed some of the plants used in L’Occitane’s beauty products, such as verbena, lemongrass, sage, basil, thyme, bergamot, rosemary, juniper, narcissus, lime, immortelle (or everlasting), cade and olive trees.
Cade was originally used by shepherds to protect themselves from cuts, and L’Occitane has harnessed this wonder plant for the skincare line for men. Olive oil is important for its nourishing and healing properties.
Looking beyond Provence, Olivier discovered the anti-aging properties of almond oil from Corsica.
From Africa, L’Occitane harvests shea butter, a nourishing ingredient derived from the African shea tree from the Burkina Faso community where L’Occitane has established a bond with the women of the village.
In Manosque, L’Occitane brought our group of journalists on a tour of their humongous factory where we saw how the raw materials were transformed into beauty products. There, we stepped into a L’Occitane boutique typical of about 500 others worldwide. Entering it is like entering the heart of Provence. The scents are charming, the colors warm and welcoming, the people gracious.
This is the Provence that Peter Mayle did not see and sniff. A patch of paradise where scents linger on in the heart and mind.
Liberte, egalite, parfumerie! It is love at first sniff in Provence.
KLM-Air France flies daily to France. For inquiries, call 887-7587, 887-4961 or 886-7548 or visit the KLM-Air France office at the RCBC Building at Ayala Avenue, Makati.
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