Discover the most beautiful aromatic plants of Provence…
For Astier Demarest, the sourcing stage is the most important in the development of our supply chains. Our credo is to work with the best to extract the best. In this quest for quality, we formed a partnership over 10 years ago with Jérôme Liautaud’s company, based in Mallemoisson, near Dignes-les-Bains in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Jérôme Liautaud began his farming career producing cereals. With a passion for the land and a determination to innovate, he quickly diversified into peppermint and clary sage. In 2019, he will be diversifying into growing and processing aromatic plants such as thyme, tarragon, savory, oregano, helichrysum and the most famous lavender and lavandin.
Working independently, Jérôme owns most of his land. Respectful of nature and the environment, he uses his skills and knowledge to make the most of the aromatic plants he grows.
FOCUS ON THESE PRODUCTS
Jérôme Liautaud’s farm is renowned for the exceptional quality of its products. The main crops include lavender, peppermint, tarragon, immortelle (Helichrysum) and clary sage. Each product is grown with care, harvested at optimum maturity and subjected to rigorous production methods to guarantee superior quality.
Helicrysum
The first harvest of the year begins with the immortelle. In July, the landscapes of Provence are covered in a beautiful yellow colour. The air is infused with its intense, distinctive fragrance: a blend of hay, curry and honey…
Immortelle, known as the “daughter of the sun”, is harvested when in full bloom, over a very short period of time. Jérôme harvests it using a forage harvester.
After harvesting, the flowering tops are steam distilled to obtain the essential oil. An immortelle plant has a lifespan of 6 years.
Clary Sage
The Clary Sage is then harvested in July. A forage harvester cuts, crushes and recovers the fresh plants before taking them to the distillery. The leaves can be distilled fresh or dried.
At Astier Demarest, we offer two qualities of Clary Sage essential oil:
- Traditional: harvested by hand, the clary sage is laid out in bundles and left in the fields for 24 hours to dry before distillation;
- Ensiled: harvested using a forage harvester – like immortelle – clary sage is ground directly and stored in a distillation chamber, which is then brought to the plant and connected to steam to extract the essential oil.
Lavandin
The natural cross between Lavender and Aspic Lavender has produced a hybrid lavender called Lavandin. Like all hybrids, Lavandin is sterile. It therefore reproduces by cuttings, producing a uniform line known as “cloned”. This explains the uniform, regular appearance of Lavandin fields.
Depending on the hybridisation, there are several types of Lavandin: Lavandin Super, Lavandin Grosso, Lavandin Abrialos, Lavandin Sumian, etc., which differ in their camphor and eucalyptol content.
Lavandin is best harvested in mid-July. Jérôme Liautaud’s plantations cover more than 150 hectares, 70 of which are organic.
Pippermint
Peppermint is a spontaneous hybrid of water mint and sweet mint.
It grows to a height of 60cm, with a large number of glandular oil sacs on the inside of the leaves.
Also grown by our producer, Peppermint is harvested in July.
It meets very precise specifications. The 1st cut takes place in the 1st week of June, the second in July, before flowering. Jérôme harvests the Peppermint using a rotary disc mower.
All our essential oils are grown by Jérôme Liautaud and are available in conventional, organic and UEBT verified varieties.
For more information on these products, please contact our sales department: contact@astierdemarest.com
