The Essence of Provence: The Story of L'OccitaneFounded in 1976 by Olivier Baussan, the now world-renown fragrance company L'Occitane (which means "a woman of Provence" in Old French) was inspired by the essences of lavender and honeysuckle, rosemary, sage, and thyme indigenous to his childhood home in the south of France. In fact, it had been since the mid-1950s that Provence had been working its magic on the Baussan family, who left their urban life for a farm in Ganagobie when their son Olivier was only six months old. Blessed with a wonderfully acute sense of smell, Olivier eventually grew up to realize that he'd been born to distill and disseminate the many and varied perfumes of the region. His epiphany came when he was 22, when on the side of the road he found an abandoned still, which he bought for a song and, using the countryside's natural ingredients, he began manufacturing shampoos, colognes, bath essences, and soaps. Starting with five employees--including Olivier's wife and mother-in-law--his fledgling company grew into a major business. Today, L'Occitane, with hundreds of stores and thousands of employees worldwide, ranks as one of the world's most successful businesses--encapsulating a bit of paradise. With over 60 boutiques in the United States alone, L'Occitane had sales of $80 million on 2001 and is aiming for a 75% increase this year as it continues to expand globally. Reminiscent of A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle's bestselling work, this renders the irresistable appeal and magic of Provence. A fascinating biography of a rags-to-riches true original, Olivier Baussan. Baussan's highly-principled ethics and unorthodox methods are edifying and instructive for business today, especially in light of therecent corporate scandals. |
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Aix-en-Provence Alain André aroma arrived barge began Bléone Botte bottles bought boutique bubble baths building Burkina Faso cakes canal Cape Verde China company's Digne dream employees ESSENCE OF PROVENCE essential oils everything fact farm father filled Forcalquier fragrance francs Ganagobie Giono going hand idea invited Jacky jatropha Jean Giono Jean-Louis Bianco jerricans karita knew l'Occi l'Occitane l'Occitane's labeling machine land lavender live looked lower Alps managed Mane & Sons Manosque manufacture Marie-Paule Marjolaine Marseille soap million mind never night nonetheless odor Old Limestone Factory Olivier Baussan Olivier remembers Olivier says Olivier's Paris perfume Peter Mayle Peyruis Pierre Magnan poet Rémy Rémy's rosemary rue Soubeyran Serge Fiorio shampoos smell soap factory sold sure Texapont thing took town turn twenty Valensole volume of Rimbaud wanted winter of 1956 words young Olivier