Farm operation since 1995
Under their very large hats, our lovely washerwomen are so proud on our hillsides, so light in their tasks that their resounding songs amid the lavender create bands of charming choirs and the echo of songs.
A family story
The history between lavender and the Demol family goes back a century.
Five generations of growers, from lavender to olive trees and various other essences, whose know-how has been passed down from father to son up to Thibaut Demol and his partner Aurélie, contemporary custodians of the "Domaine Demol" brand.
Valensole, in the 1930s, is more Jean de Florette than the "thirty glorious years". Men and women have always cultivated the land. Warm and arid lands on a dry clay-limestone terroir where wild lavender thrives. At the dawn of time, Valensole was associated with almonds and wheat.
Beginning of the Adventure
The adventure begins with Marius Demol who harvests wild lavender from the mountain known as "common lavender" to, later, cultivate lavandin on 12 to 15 hectares of land. Lavandin is a hybrid of two varieties of lavender: officinalis and Aspic, initially obtained by pollinating insects and by man. Botanists recognize 48 different species of lavender.
Martial, the second in the lineage, will develop the culture. The winter of 1956 was the harshest in history. The frost, registering a record at -25°C, devastated the crops. The Demol family then undertakes a first diversification by introducing olive trees into the production.
Maurice, his son, will continue the cultivation work and experience, in the 70s, a form of industrial revolution since the activity becomes mechanized. The fields see the appearance of hoeing machines, planters, cutters.... Lavender, until then planted in squares, is now cultivated in large parallel lines. The family then exploits 60 hectares and launches a commercial nursery activity, hitherto intended solely for self-consumption.
A tradition that carries on
It's Philippe, the 4th in the family, who expanded the domain during his career devoted to lavandin by developing the Grosso and Sumian species from 1980 to 2018 and setting up the operation at the Domaine du Grand Saint Jean.
Recently retired, he continues to roam the fields and paths. Thibaut, Philippe's son, a new actor in this saga since 2002, always works with family and as a team. In 2008, he expanded the nursery activity that until then was intended for self-consumption. The sale of young shoots thus developed.
In 2013, in collaboration with his father Philippe, he created the distillery.
His passion for lavandin leads him to integrate all the services of the production chain, from the mother plant in the nursery, to distillation and to the finished product, distilled, bottled.
The Demol company also offers service provisions to fellow professionals or non-operating owners.
The activity has diversified extensively on the 400 hectares farmed: wheat, clary sage, common sage, thyme, rosemary, hyssop, oregano, immortelle...
Until the sale of our products
Meanwhile, the sales channels for the products are evolving. Until now, aimed at cooperatives, the products are also sold directly, to wholesalers and the finished products are now offered on the Domaine Demol website.
In 2017, in the center of Valensole, Thibaut Demol opens a gourmet shop "La Maison de Marius" managed by his sister Mélanie. The future continues to unfold.
Since 2017, nearly 3000 olive trees have been planted. A window to the future opens onto the vineyard with 25 hectares recently introduced.
The distilled products find new outlets: cosmetics, Wellness, household products... Lavender is attracting more and more tourists. Holiday cottages will soon be available. There is also consideration of expanding the event activity. What bride hasn't dreamed of being photographed in white in a lavender field?
