Hi!
Tunisia March 2022
We have been in Ksar Lemsa, in the Tunisian Atlas Mountains, for a week. The days are intense! The ones who are not assembling the lab or distilling are travelling all over the countryside. Outside the car window mountains, farms, olive groves and small villages are swooshing by. We are collecting plants for the test distillations. Where they grow and the growth conditions effect the results, and we want to find the best fragrances.
We are meeting small scale farmers, some already ecological, but in need for stable partners to be able to get certification. Others are already certified and with them it is about testing and see if we should collaborate. The questions we are asking everyone are what are the working conditions look like? How much do you get paid for your product? How many intermediaries does the product go through before it reaches the consumers? How can we contribute to a better management of wild plants. We want to have full insight of the whole distribution chain. Can we give value to both us, the farmers and the consumers?
So far, we have brought home wild rosemary, both wild and planted lavender, rose damascene, neroli (flower of the bitter orange), germanium and also some new ones that we will share with you after successful distillations. One test we can share with you already is the bergamot. Smells amazing!
Take care
Idris
@carthagofragrance
carthagofragrance.com