Givaudan, a fragrance and flavours development company, has expanded its Innovative Naturals Programme and extended its involvement in the lavender supply chain in France.
Building on its relationship with the local growers cooperative, France Lavande, Givaudan has now become a member of Centre Régionalisé Interprofessionnel dExpérimentation en Plantes à Parfum, Aromatiques et Médicinales (CRIEPPAM), a French fragrant plants research organisation. Through this three-way partnership Givaudan now finances the supply of certified healthy lavender plants from CRIEPPAM to the cooperative members of France Lavande.
Givaudan has also financially supported the development of four plant nurseries that will supply 40% of the plant needs for the 2013 crop in France, while the partnership itself aims to encourage farmers to join the cooperative and to strengthen their own lavender crops.
The production of Lavender in France has been under threat recently due to a strain of bacteria known as Stolbur’s phytoplasma, which weakens plants over a period of three years until they dry out and die. Furthermore, European climate changes have caused proliferation of the insect that spreads the disease as well as periods of drought.