Our essential oils come from plants that we grow on the farm or collect from the wild. They all come from organic farming, labeled Nature & Progrès and AB. They are guaranteed 100% pure and natural and are packaged on the farm in brown glass bottles with codigoutte.
As a producer, the regulations do not allow us to explain the virtues of plants, even less to give health advice. The information given on this site comes from books and websites written by professionals in aromatherapy and the use of essential oils. They are made available for information only and do not in any way constitute medical information, nor even engage our responsibility.
The team
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On the left is Micah. He is Australian and formerly a graphic designer. After helping Florence for a season, he discovered that he really liked working outside and with his hands rather than in front of a computer. He also discovered that being a farmer means being multifunctional. There is the agricultural side, of course, but there is also a lot of DIY, construction, mechanics, improvements to be made, etc. In short, lots of things without it being repetitive! Over time, Micah has learned to do a lot of things. Today, it is he who is responsible for distillations, all that is DIY and constructions (and there are a lot of them!), the development of culture areas, the implementation of the system of irrigation and mechanical repairs.
On the right is Florence. It is she who is at the origin of the project. She grew up in the countryside and has a deep attachment to the countryside and nature. She studied in the agricultural sector and had this project in mind for a very long time but did not dare to set it up alone. With Micah's support, she took the plunge and “her” project became “their” project. Florence takes care of all the management of the activity (and it's not an easy task...), of the marketing part (markets, fairs, delivery of shops, etc.), visits to the farm and processing of cosmetic products.
And together, they do all the farm work, sowing, transplanting, planting, crop maintenance, weeding, picking and harvesting, but also the packaging and labeling of products.
Historical
In 2011 , we contacted ADDEARG, a support organization for agricultural project leaders. We didn't have any land yet, but we felt the need to talk about our project. They helped us structure our ideas and meet professionals in perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants, PPAM in our jargon.
At the same time, we started to (re)train ourselves, because despite a course in the agricultural sector, the world of aromatic and medicinal plants was unknown to us. We couldn't see ourselves doing distillation without having been trained beforehand. We had a lot of questions about how to install the crops. We have therefore done several training courses, particularly on distillation and harvesting in the wild at the CFPPA in Nyons, an establishment which has been offering training courses around PPAMs for a long time.
We continue to train regularly because our profession is vast and there are always things to learn. These trainings are places rich in encounters and exchanges.
It was after almost 2 years of research that we finally found agricultural land in the commune of Pommiers. In June 2013, we signed a farm lease with a former goatherd who had used this land as pasture. Eric, the owner of the land, was himself at Nature&Progrès at the time, a true organic pioneer! A good meeting because he was looking for farmers with the same values as him. We signed an agricultural lease in June 2013. The adventure was beginning!
2013: Land reclamation
The land we were recovering had not been cultivated for twenty years. First, we redid the access and asked a local farmer to do a little plowing to loosen the soil and break up the bed of roots of the wasteland in place. In late summer/early spring, we sowed green manure to improve and protect the soil during the winter.
Wasteland
After a good cleaning, ready to grow
2014: The very beginnings of the activity
After investing in agricultural equipment (brush cutter, tiller, irrigation system, etc.) we bought our first seeds, planted our first crops, made our first pickings in the wild. We had bought a small 30L still in which we distilled small quantities of plants. For larger quantities, we went to custom distill at a local distiller. We waited to have a nice range of essential oils and floral waters before starting to sell for the first time in November 2014. Our first point of sale was the peasant shop in Vigan.
Our first plantations
Our first distillations
2015: Construction of the distillery! _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb5cfb-58d_bad
It is thanks to the combination of several financings that we succeeded in gathering the money to build our distillery: zero interest loan with AIRDIE, subsidy from the Languedoc-Roussillon Region at the time and donation from the Raoul Foundation. Follereau. We had never built a building before so we hired a local carpenter who agreed to do the building with him. After 6 months of work and a few mutual aid projects, our distillery was up and running.
Different stages of the construction of the distillery
2015: It is also the arrival of our still!!!
Ah the still, quite an adventure! Financial adventure first, because it is through crowdfunding that we managed to collect the funds. It was very stressful and until the last minute we thought we wouldn't make it, but we did! I take this opportunity to thank once again all the participants for having supported us in this great adventure.
Adventure also to find this still. Three years of research! It must be said that we had very selective criteria. We wanted a copper still, used, with a steam boiler separate from the plant vase. We found it in Deux-Sèvres, a 9-hour drive from home. It's an old 350L still built in 1942! The home distiller who sold it to us used it for more than 20 years and had gotten it himself from his father-in-law. Old still, but in working order. It just needed a little makeover. It was a craftsman from the neighboring village who restored it for nearly 4 months. What joy when he arrived at the distillery and we did our first distillations with him!!!
Arrival of the still
First distillation with the new still
2016-2017: We focused on growing our small business. Every year we expand our crops and pick more plants. We are also developing our commercial and professional network and we continue to train ourselves from time to time in order to constantly improve our farming practices.
2017: We decided to apply for the DJA (young farmer endowment). It's a fairly substantial subsidy that requires a lot of administrative procedures, a commitment to remain a farmer for 5 years and to generate an income at the end of these 5 years. That's good, that's what we want too! In 2017 we still did not live from our activity but thanks to the DJA, we intend to get there. With this grant, we will professionalize, modernize and improve our working conditions. After 2 years of setting up the file with the Chamber of Agriculture, we are submitting our grant application in December 2018.
2019 : Expansion of our cultures and professionalization of our activity with the construction of the laboratory and the purchase of semi-professional equipment! Bottler, labeler, micro-tractor, 50L still for the distillation of the rose, rehabilitation of the coil of the 350L still in short, everything you need to be more comfortable in our job and put a little help of accelerator.
Alembic for distilling the rose
Placing shredded material with the tractor
Floral water bottling laboratory
October 2019: A little paradise...
A wonderful opportunity has presented itself to us. Since the beginning of our adventure, we were looking for land to buy, if possible with a house. Rare and difficult to find in our region, especially when you have a small budget. We searched for 7 years, sometimes very actively, sometimes less. But in October 2019, we were lucky enough to be able to buy the house which is located right next to the land we have been cultivating since 2013. A very beautiful house with 18ha of land of which around 8000m² is cultivable and a source which flows all year round. . A real little paradise! We were overjoyed! Our project will grow and become an agro-tourism project, the "real" project that we actually wanted to accomplish. We hope to be able to open a campsite on the farm, a small gîte and make a garden to visit. Of course, all of this will take years and we certainly won't be able to do it alone, but it's really close to our hearts and we hope to get there.
Our little paradise
Ethics and philosophy
Espelida is the birth of a carefully thought out and constructed project. We have chosen to create our own profession to be consistent with our values: respect for the earth, nature and us humans. We are part of a whole, one does not work without the other, everything is linked. For us, practicing agro-ecological and peasant agriculture, respectful of our environment, was obvious.
We sell our products in short circuits, at fairs, markets, on the farm, in organic stores and on our website, thus enrolling us in a system of fair and human relations. This proximity allows us to engage in a relationship of transparency and trust with consumers and encourages us to always seek the best quality and the products best suited to your needs.
We are very attentive to the impact of our actions on the planet and that is why there is no over-packaging of our products. We chose a single container, in glass because it is an easy material to recycle but also an inert material. Our products are of high quality, organic and made with great care. It was simply impossible for us to put them in plastic containers that could contaminate them with toxic molecules.
All our products have the mention Nature & Progrès and it is not for nothing that we have chosen this label. Nature&Progrès, born in 1964 from protests against industrialized agriculture, is now one of the oldest organic farming organizations in France and Europe. For Nature&Progrès, organic farming goes well beyond a simple label and includes values of equity, proximity, autonomy and sharing by thinking of the system in a global way. It is designed as an alternative and participatory agricultural and food society project, respectful of life. Nature&Progrès brings together professionals and consumers in the same movement to:
Respect for the balance of living ecosystems (soil, plants and animals)
The health of people and the Earth,
A peasant agriculture, on a human scale, favoring local and local circuits,
Fair trade in the north and in the south,
The sharing of knowledge and know-how, the exchange, the social bond.
As a consumer, you too can be a player in this agro-ecological and peasant agriculture and participate in building a fairer, fairer and more organic world. Do not hesitate to consult their website to find out more.
Our way of working
Cultures
On the farm, we cultivate small areas in an agro-ecological way, favoring as far as possible manual work over mechanical work, in order to avoid disturbing the life of the soil which is so beneficial to us. Our crops are covered with a thick layer of straw or shredded material to maintain soil moisture and limit weeding. As it degrades, the shredded material brings organic matter to the soil, plants and soil fauna.
We harvest the plants with a sickle. Smelling, touching, observing, this privileged contact we have with plants is very important to us. A work done by hand respects the plant and does not damage it as a machine could do. The quality of the final product suffers.
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Sickle picking
Crop mulch
Harvesting in the wild
Our range of plants is completed by picking in the wild that we carry out in privileged sites far from any pollution. Our pickings are carried out with care and in a spirit of safeguarding the ecological diversity of the environment. We pick with a sickle, systematically leaving about a third of the plants so that the species can renew itself. We obviously do not pick rare or protected species.
Thyme picking
Wild Carrot Picking
Our products
Essential oils and floral waters
We distill our botanicals at low pressure, with spring water and in a copper still. The distillation time is different and specific to each plant. It is important to us to respect a gentle and complete distillation in order to extract all the quintessence of the plant and all the active molecules known as "head", "heart" and "tail". Quality rather than quantity is our key word!
During a distillation, we obtain two distinct products:
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essential oils: with a lighter density than water, they naturally rise to the surface of the essence and are highly concentrated in active principles. You have to know how to use them.
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and floral waters, also called hydrolats. With a heavier density, they are found at the bottom of the essence, under the essential oils. These are waters charged with the water-soluble active ingredients of the plant that has been distilled. They are softer and easier to use on a daily basis than essential oils.
Technically, we should call "floral water" if we distill the flowers such as cornflowers, lavender or rose for example, and “hydrolat” if we distill something other than the flower as with : peppermint, lemon balm, bay leaf, etc…
Principle of distillation
Cosmetics, natural and minimalist:
We have chosen to reduce the list of ingredients that make up our cosmetics to a minimum because we are convinced that the simpler it is, the better it is for the skin but also for the planet. Minimal, raw, natural and organic ingredients to meet the skin's need, not the product's need. If you are a fan of big brand cosmetics, expensive or less expensive, you will surely be disappointed by the simplicity of our products and their rather raw fragrance. But we guarantee that your skin will be seduced!
Oily macerates are the basis of all our cosmetics. They are prepared from fresh flowers that we grow or collect from the wild. We put the flowers to macerate in a mixture of olive oil and oleic sunflower, placed in the sun for about 3 weeks. The sun slowly heats the oil, which extracts the active molecules from the plant. Macerates are real care oils on their own!
With the oily macerates, which are themselves loaded with active ingredients, we make all the other cosmetics (care oils, balms, soaps, etc.) by adding other ingredients in order to reinforce a desired effect. The vast majority of the ingredients that we add, such as essential oils or floral waters, are ingredients that we produce ourselves.
You will have understood it, with oil macerates, oil is the main ingredient that makes up all our cosmetics and it is not for nothing. The oil not only has softening and soothing properties, but it also has the ability to retain water in the skin tissues and therefore maintain a good level of hydration. If you find that the oil is too greasy and it does not suit you, a little trick is to mix your macerated oil with a little floral water directly in the palm of your hand and mix them before applying them. on your skin. You will see, the mixture penetrates more easily, your skin is not greasy and you have an immediate and very pleasant feeling. Absolutely worth trying!