History

More than a century of lavender ... which calls for a little historical background

1898 Géraud Bontoux makes his business official by obtaining a distiller's license in Montguers, a village in the Ouvèze Valley (Haute Provence region). At the time, wild lavender was gathered on the hillsides of Provence.

The 1920s Lavender is cultivated for the first time.

1941 Marcel and René Bontoux take over from their father and found a company called Bontoux Frères GBX 1898. They modernize the business, developing its production of essential oils and expanding on international markets.

1955 A new "Eysseric" distillation unit is installed in Montguers.

1966 Bontoux Frères acquires its first chromatograph.

The late 1960s Mechanical harvesting becomes the industry standard.

1982 René's son Robert Bontoux takes over and founds a new company in Saint Auban sur l'Ouvèze. He calls it Clos d'Aguzon because its location, adjoining his own home, lies between two properties called "Aguzon" and "Le Clot". A producer and wholesaler of Provençal essential oils, Clos d'Aguzon invests in a state-of-the-art research and chromatographic analysis laboratory.

1992 Clos d'Aguzon's commercial success encourages its director to open a distribution subsidiary in the United States. Located in the state of New Jersey, Bontoux Inc. unites the French parent company's technical know-how with the commercial dynamism of its American team.

1994 Clos d'Aguzon initiates a major new investment program. After four years of intensive work, the company unveils a high-performance production tool capable of transforming the R&D laboratory's expertise into added value.

2001 Having mastered the techniques involved in the production and processing of aromatic ingredients, the company turns its attention to sourcing and production at the source. It founds Clos d'Aguzon Océan Indien in Madagascar, plus two joint ventures: Destilaciones Aromaticas De Totana in Spain and Cilione SRL in Italy.

2005 Changes at the top: Robert's son Rémy Bontoux takes over the directorship. He brings with him extensive experience, having worked in both scientific development and commercial operations at Clos d'Aguzon since its founding.

2008 The expansion continues with the founding of Bontoux S.A., a specialized subsidiary in charge of all aromatic ingredients operations for the Clos d'Aguzon group.