- 14 November 2022
- Return
We are happy to share in these pages key data and figures about the current and upcoming French campaigns. Have a look at this report to prepare your purchasing requirements of essential oils, hydrosols, dried herbs and do not hesitate to contact us for any inquiry.
Editorial
« You and your customers are wondering about the evolution of your purchasing power. Many of us, consumers, brands, ingredient suppliers, look at it from a quantitative perspective. It is obvious that the current inflation reduces our ability to buy as much as before.
The current context is also an opportunity to ask ourself about the meaning of our purchases. How can we exercise our "Power to Buy"? To buy, yes, but to buy what?
Environmental values are becoming more and more important. We relay a summary note on organic food products and their impact on our health. This study realized by the Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture is richly documented and confirms the benefits of organic food.
Moreover, the consumer clearly wishes that producers, especially local producers, receive a fair remuneration for their work that allows them to live well. This is the first motivation of the consumer towards fair trade as shown by the France Agrimer study on fair trade in the PPAM sector in France.
Our values have a price. The trade-off we all make depends on our level of attachment to these values.
It is therefore up to us to support our clients to stimulate consumer attachment to sustainability values.
Enjoy your reading of our purchasing campaigns!"
Jean-Pascal ABDELLI, Managing director of Elixens France
General background on aromatic plants
Weather analysis
The weather is one of our main concern because it has a direct impact on the harvests.
We give you our feedback from the last few months and we share insights on future forecasts within our production area (South-Eastern France).
Spring, summer 2022
The spring and summer were marked by low rainfall and high temperatures for long periods.
Harvesting was about 3 weeks ahead of the usual schedule. This precocity allowed us to harvest many varieties before the heat waves. Our harvests of thyme, mint, helichrysum... have been of good yield and quality.
Lavandin crops have benefited from a rainy episode at the end of June which allowed satisfactory harvests. Lavenders, especially in the plain, suffered considerably from heat waves combined drought and hot winds, what had for consequence to roast on foot the plants of lavenders. Very short ears, grey color, low yields and poor quality are the consequences of this unfavorable climatic cocktail.
On the other hand, plants usually sensitive to frost have behaved very well since the last winters are becoming milder. This is the case for our verbenas, allowing us to increase our production of organic verbenas in France for drying and the floral water.
Contrary to a very rainy campaign in 2020-2021, this campaign has seen a very clear improvement in the bacteriological quality of the dried plants. The efforts of our producers in terms of weed control and hunting down weeds rich in alkaloids has allowed us to obtain very satisfactory quality results.
The climatic conditions of this campaign has favored the development of insects. Some of them have generated uncontrollable episodes of “Cecidomie”, which have become possible again due to the prohibition of chemical control means for the past 2 years.
Some attacks of noctuid moths were reported, more numerous than in previous years.
If some areas of Hautes Alpes and Alpes De Haute Provence have been massively affected, the organic productions of Elixens have been largely spared until now. Very few cases have been reported. The fact that the crops are organic and less intensive could perhaps explain this rarer occurrence of attacks.
Lavandin market
Backward!
Our projection made at the beginning of 2022 is confirmed. The surface area under cultivation is declining very slightly (-1%), whereas it had only increased significantly over the last 3 years.
The trend is reversing due to difficult weather conditions and massive pest attacks in historical production areas. The very bad market conditions are likely to continue and push some producers to abandon the cultivation of lavender. The inter-professional bodies are acting to help producers reduce their cultivation areas. A budget of 10 M€ has been pre-allocated by the Senate to support this action.
The estimated harvest for 2022 is lower than for 2021. Approximately 1700 tons of essential oil has been produced. 2022 will therefore still contribute to increase the stocks.
As a consequence of these carry-overs, Market prices will remain at a historically low level, certainly below production costs. In our opinion, it is time to engage in discussions with customers concerned about sustainable sourcing of French lavender and lavandin.
We are at your disposal to discuss the implementation of fair trade agreements on conventional lavandin, as we already do on organic cultivation.
Organic is not a joke
Why we should keep supporting organic consumption?
In time of inflation, the first consumption good that is subject to economic arbitration is food, and therefore. However, the beneficial effect of an organic diet was established by a study recently published by the Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture. A summary note entitled "Organic products and health, focus on food" was recently published.
This publication highlights the objective benefits of organic products for human health. It is based on serious scientific data (in particular the Nutrinet-Health study launched in 2009 to study the relationship between lifestyle, diet and health on more than 170,000 volunteers)
This comprehensive study highlights key points that constitute strong messages in favor of organic products and their consumption.
It's not every day that they celebrate their 20th anniversary
On October 20th, the Elixens France team was invited to the 20th anniversary of BioPartenaire.
BioPartenaire is the reference label for responsible organic products. The label is delivered only after a rigorous and independent control. It guarantees you a fair organic, demanding and vigilant on the respect of agricultural, social, commercial and ecological commitments. Today, there are more than 1,000 products committed to a fair and responsible organic approach that can be found in specialized organic stores. By choosing a product with the BIOPARTENAIRE® label, you are choosing a quality product, at a fair price that remunerates the work of farmers with dignity. You choose to consume organic, fair trade and responsible. You participate in Biopartnerships and their positive impacts: creation of sustainable and localized jobs in France and around the world, local development, development of agro-ecology favorable to biodiversity, soil fertility and the fight against climate change ...
We had the pleasure to participate in conferences of this event and to hold a stand at INEED in Valence (26) to discover in more details the traceability of our products: from the plantation, to the finished product. A day rich in meetings and sharing.
On the program for this special day: the Extraordinary General Assembly of BioPartenaire, an exchange around testimonies of committed farmers, a visit of more than 15 stands of member companies, a retrospective conference of 20 years of commitments and many other convivial moments.
This was a great opportunity for the organic distributors present at this event to discover a sample of the richness of the offer and the diversity of the BIOPARTENAIRE® labeled products.
We congratulate Biopartenaire again for their spectacular evolution in their first 20 years. We are proud to actively contribute to this association to value and offer our organic and fair trade ingredients to more and more brands that offer consumers products that contribute to these values.
Elixens France
A flourishing industry
Our collaboration with a group of organic farmers in Dauphiné-Provence, the Sica Bio-Plantes, under fair conditions is a great success.
In 2020 in a context of collapsing lavender prices. A strong development of dried plants has been observed, despite the new regulatory constraints that affect them. We also planted several dozen hectares this spring.
French harvest in summer and early autumn 2022
We cultivate more than 36 plants species in organic agriculture.
We transform them into essential oils, hydrosols/floral waters, dried herbs and specialties.
We invite you in the coming pages to take a look at some of our current and future ingredients.
Elixens France will only partially pass on the increase of production costs in its pricing policy in order to comply with long term commitments.
Organic roman chamomille
- Production: essential oil and hydrosol
- State of the crop: It is doing well for this flower whose cultivation in organic requires a real know-how mastered by our producers.
- Harvest/distillation: mid-July
- Availability: high demand
- Market trend: stable
Organic blackcurrant
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Production: dried herbs
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State of the crop: good harvest to come
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Harvest: June and September
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Availability: good
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Market trend: stable
Organic lemon catnip
- Production: essential oil and hydrosol
- State of the crop: well adapted to our climate
- Harvest/distillation: July and September
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic fennel
- Production: dried seeds
- State of the crop: difficult to control invasive weeds
- Harvest: June
- Availability: limited, under commitment contracts
- Market trend: stable
Organic geranium
- Production: hydrosol
- State of the crop: good development, replanting
- Harvest/distillation: June
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic everlasting (Corsica type)
- Production: essential oil and hydrosol
- State of the culture: very good, spectacular flowering this year, a specie that we have acclimatized since many years in Drôme.
- Harvest/distillation: June
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic lavender and lavandin
- Production: essential oil officinalis, fine, grosso,
maillette, lavender hydrosol and dried herbs
- State of the crop: good, surfaces in increase
- Harvest/distillation: June
- Availability: good
- Market trend: prices stable compared to last year. Well below usual prices.
Organic mallow and cornflower
These plants are specific for floral water production. They will be soon harvested and dried. The distillation of the dried herbs will occur throughout the year depending on demand.
- Production: mallow floral water, cornflower floral water
- State of the culture: good
- Harvest/distillation: July, since the plant is dried, the distillation happens all year long.
- Availability: good, all year round
- Market trend: stable
Organic sweet mint (Mentha spicata)
- Production: dried herbs
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: very good harvests
- Availability: high demand
- Market trend: stable
Organic peppermint (mentha piperita)
- Production: essential oil, hydrosol and dried herbs
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: June to September
- Availability: on reservation
- Market trend: high demand
Organic lemonbalm
Elixens has been cultivating this plant for more than 20 years. It's a regular must-have.
- Production: essential oil and hydrosol
- State of cultivation: good
- Harvest/distillation: June to September, distillation in progress
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic rosemary
- Production: essential oil, hydrosol and dried herbs
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: August
- Availability: important
- Market trend: stable
Organic savory lemon
- Production: essential oil, hydrosol and dried herbs
- State of the crop: very good
- Harvest/distillation: July
- Availability: good
- Market trend: high demand, new products
Organic clary sage
- Production: essential oil
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: July
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stabilization of prices on clary sage after a decrease due to overproduction
Organic officinal sage
- Production: essential oil, hydrosol and dried herbs (use of the sheets)
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: first harvest in spring, 2nd harvest in autumn depending on demand.
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic thyme linalol
- Production: essential oil
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation forecast: from mid-may to mid-June
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic thyme thymol
- Production: essential oil
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: May
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic thyme thuyanol
- Production: essential oil
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: in progress. Thuyanol thyme is finished and its quality is particularly good this year.
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic thyme leaves
- Production: dried herbs
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest: May
- Availability: good
- Market trend: stable
Organic verbena
- Production: dried herbs and the possibility of floral water on request
- State of the crop: good
- Harvest/distillation: May to October.
- Availability: good, developing culture
- Market trend: stable
Do not hesitate to browse through our catalog, to contact us for any information, or to start a project.