Grasse seeks Unesco tag for perfume business

When Joseph Mul walks through his field of sweet-smelling Provence roses, the raw ingredients of Chanel N°5, he follows in the footsteps of his great grandfather who began growing flowers for perfume in 1840. Mr Mul, 77, is continuing the tradition of one generation instructing the next in the secrets of floral cultivation by preparing to hand over his livelihood to son-in-law, Fabrice Bianchi.

“He was converted the day he married my daughter,” said Mr Mul.

“The apprenticeship is done ‘in situ’ in the fields, it’s a permanent exchange between our two generations, a transfer of know-how that allows us to manage the plants,” said Mr Bianchi as he picked a Provence rose, also known as a May rose.

It is this rich heritage that the flower growers in the southeast French town of Grasse, including Mul, a well-known figure in the industry, are now pushing to have recognised by Unesco.

Grasse, a town of around 50,000 people, has been associated with perfume since the 17th century under Louis XIV when the area’s leather makers — there since the Middle Ages — began to create scented oil to fragrance their wares, particularly gloves. As a result of the demand for floral oils, fields of flowers began to speckle the region.

But a property boom in the 1970s coupled with strong competition from cheaper overseas producers threatened the viability of Grasse’s perfume industry. But it has since reasserted its position at the forefront of global perfume manufacturing, hosting famous names like Robertet and Fragonard and employing about 3,000 people. Today perfumes are heavily associated with fashion and celebrities, a trend started by Coco Chanel’s N°5 in 1921.

Hence, the world’s leading luxury company LVMH opened a perfume testing laboratory in Grasse in September 2015 which will develop the next generation of scents for Dior and Louis Vuitton, securing Grasse’s position as a global hub for perfume.

“Such a concentration of know-how doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. It’s here that you have to come to perfect a natural product,” said Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, a designer and “nose” for Louis Vuitton.

“A very colourful language, unique to perfumers, allows us to communicate emotion very quickly. With my father I understand instantly,” said Cavallier-Belletrud. Carole Biancalana, a fourth generation grower of flowers for perfume, said. “It is important to help label our heritage, to attract young people into the profession, and to pay tribute to past generations.”