Bourbon essential oil cooperative with workshop and guided tour in Le Tampon.
Réunion was oncethe world'sleading producer of geranium, and still perpetuates this distillation tradition, a heritage that the CAHEB helps to defend. Since 1963, the cooperative has been collecting essential oils from its farmer members in Reunion to supply the big names in French perfumery. Here you'll discover the different varieties of noble raw materials such as vetiver, geranium bourbon, pink berries and, more broadly, the island's many spices and perfume plants. If you have time for the guided tour, there's much more to see in the medicinal and aromatic plant garden. Olfactory and gustatory discovery or herbal tea workshops are also available for groups of 5 or more, as are perfume and massage oil creation workshops. An opportunity to perfect your knowledge of plants and perfumes. The journey through the history of scents is also very hands-on, as everyone has the opportunity to make their own personalized eau de toilette or massage oil. A palette of fragrances invites novice composers to customize their favorite scent. The experience of nature meets scent is a fascinating one, lasting around 1 hour. The tour ends in the boutique, where you'll find a multitude of essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, spices and aromatic and medicinal plants (PAPAM) produced by the cooperative.
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Further information
Opening time and information on CAHEB
Store open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm. Weekday guided tour at 3pm: €5. Workshops: €10.
Owner's Message
From the production of essential oils of Bourbon to the creation of perfumes, discover the CAHEB (Cooperative Agricole des Huiles Essentielles de Bourbon).
The CAHEB (Cooperative Agricole des Huiles Essentielles de Bourbon) was created to regulate the conditions of production.
Before 1963, the producers were essentially colonists directed by landowners of large estates. They were the ones who collected the oil and then used brokers to export it at very variable prices. Production fluctuated greatly. In the early 1960s, the price of essential oils could vary by 50% in a single year. Large traders stocked up during periods of low prices and thus reinforced the speculative nature of the market. Faced with these strong fluctuations, the producers and exporters decided in 1963 to organize the collection and to stabilize the prices.
Thus the cooperative grouped together the majority of growers. The cooperative signs a contract with its members, offering a purchase and price guarantee. In return, the member undertakes: to deliver to the cooperative the totality of his essence, to provide a loyal and merchantable product (green color), to declare his surfaces.
Today, the CAHEB groups together almost all the producers. It ensures the technical supervision, the collection of the products and their marketing on the external markets. Its objective is to revitalize this sector whose assets are important. Indeed, the geranium and the Bourbon vetyver, even if they contribute only modestly to the trade balance of the island, are considered as the best of the world as their prices testify: 180€ the kilo for the vetyver and 120€ for the geranium. To boost this sector, the CAHEB projects are based on a more modern vision of economic mechanisms.
From an initiatory journey in the garden of scents, located in Le Tampon, visitors discover the noble raw materials used in perfumery, including Vétyver Bourbon, Geranium Bourbon as well as spices and perfume plants of Reunion.
The visit ends in the store where the visitor will have at his disposal a multitude of essential oils, perfumes, cosmetic products and spices.
The C.A.H.E.B. wishes through this circuit, to make known the Heritage of the Mascareignes: its essential oils and to defend the place of the natural products in the perfumery.
The CAHEB proposes you to discover its workshops opened from Monday to Friday on reservation to all public /
. A workshop of Olfactory and Gustative Discovery:
- The Gustative Discovery Workshop consists in discovering the different local flavors through the use of edible oils based on plants extracted in Reunion Island, such as Mango Ginger, Turmeric, Combava, different peppers, 4 spices...
- The Olfactory Discovery Workshop consists in discovering or rediscovering local and/or foreign raw materials through their origin, their virtues, their use..
At the end of the workshop a gift will be offered.
Capacity: 15 people maximum.
. Massage oils for various ailments (relaxation, joint pain, muscle pain,...) that can be personalized.
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Members' reviews on CAHEB
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