The cultivation of lavender in Haute Provence is not the fruit of chance or agronomic evidence. It essentially corresponds to an economic opportunity seized by the inhabitants of a vast region.

From Antiquity, in the Greek and Roman civilizations, lavender is already mentioned for its current uses. In the Middle Ages, it is always like medicinal plant or essence with the precious virtues that one finds the lavender: it proves very effective in the fight against the Great Plague.

And then, early twentieth, here is “Blue Gold”! The expansion of the perfume industry in Grasse has led to a sharp rise in the demand for perfume plants. The picking of aspic and fine lavender is generalized and organized. In the mid-twentieth century, the mechanization and the better productivity of the plants favor the intensification of the cultivation of the lavender. Many farm families live mainly lavender.

The end of the 20th century marks a turning point. In a very tense market, the number of lavender growers decreases, as does the area under cultivation. The landscape changes, lavender “moves” more and more quickly. In the 2000s, the emergence of new markets, including that of “well-being”, keeps the number of producers and tends to further improve the quality of production.