Behind the Scenes at terre d'Oc

Posted on: 13 • 12 • 2023
 

Step behind the scenes of terre d'Oc and discover how our wellness products for the body, home and mind are carefully crafted and packaged in our workshops. A dedicated team of more than forty people works with passion and commitment to create meaningful products that are beautiful, beneficial and wholesome, always staying true to our founding values.

Step behind the scenes of our company and discover how our wellness products for the body, home and mind are carefully crafted and packaged in our workshops.

terre d'Oc Tea: Crafted in Haute-Provence

It all begins with sourcing. Spring is the ideal time for us to visit our tea plantations and processing facilities to ensure that our quality standards are upheld and that workers' working conditions meet our expectations.

100% of our producers practise organic farming, an agricultural system based on respect for the environment, biodiversity, living ecosystems and natural cycles. These principles are reflected in strict certification standards defined by detailed specifications. There are many different certification schemes, varying from one country or even one region to another.

However, as an importer, our teas must comply with the European Union organic regulations. They are subject to the official controls required by EU legislation, and only teas that meet these standards are entitled to carry the European organic logo.

Aussi, nos producteurs et transformateurs doivent travailler selon nos référentiels et nos critères. Dès la cueillette effectuée et les lots présélectionnés, nous mandatons un organisme accrédité pour procéder à des contrôles et des prélèvements. Des analyses sont effectuées dans des laboratoires indépendants en France pour s’assurer de la qualité du thé et de l’absence de pesticides avant de réaliser les procédures d’importation.

Ethical and Fair Trade Organic Sourcing

It all begins with sourcing. Spring is the ideal time for us to visit our tea plantations and processing facilities to ensure that our quality standards are upheld and that workers' working conditions meet our expectations.

100% of our producers practise organic farming, an agricultural system based on respect for the environment, biodiversity, living ecosystems and natural cycles. These principles are reflected in strict certification standards defined by detailed specifications. There are many different certification schemes, varying from one country or even one region to another.

However, as an importer, our teas must comply with the European Union organic regulations. They are subject to the official controls required by EU legislation, and only teas that meet these standards are entitled to carry the European organic logo.

A Fair Trade Success Story: Organic and Fair Trade Tea from the Kotakithula Tea Gardens in Sri Lanka

For nearly 30 years, terre d'Oc has placed people at the heart of its business relationships, giving particular priority to women's cooperatives and organisations in France and around the world.

This commitment takes shape through support for their projects, financial assistance, as well as technical and practical support. Our goal is to celebrate their exceptional expertise while strengthening their role within society.

In this Sri Lankan community, which we visit regularly, women play a leading role by shaping their own futures and taking responsibility for their families, even within a society still deeply rooted in patriarchal traditions.

In February 2021, terre d'Oc provided essential support to this women's cooperative by funding the planting of 1,000 new tea bushes to replace those that had been destroyed by fungal diseases and harmful insects. The two-year-old tea plants were carefully planted in September, following the rainy season.

To promote a healthy and sustainable environment, spice trees have been planted among the tea bushes to provide natural shade. Regular pruning every six months also enriches the soil by producing compost. In 2022, a new chapter began with the funding of 3,000 additional tea plants, creating new opportunities for this courageous and inspiring community.

And our commitment does not stop there. In both 2022 and 2023, terre d'Oc also provided food aid to the families of workers at our partner tea processing factories in Sri Lanka by distributing food parcels to every employee.

Human work is a source of progress and fulfilment, shaping the path towards a brighter future.

Flavouring Tea in Our Workshops

Flavouring the tea is a key stage in our production process. Once the tea has arrived at the Port of Fos near Marseille and been transported to our workshops in Provence, Doryan, our Production Manager, carries out the tea flavouring process according to each recipe using a blending machine.

The flavouring process takes around 20 minutes. Once completed, the tea is packed into 5 to 15 kg bags, depending on the recipe, to preserve its quality. The flavouring machine can process batches ranging from 20 kg to 150 kg, depending on the type of tea leaf used.

thé glacé

Final Step: Packaging in Our Beautiful Decorative Tins

We know that packaging plays a vital role in preserving the quality of tea. That is why we take particular care in packaging our teas and botanicals. Our packaging is designed to protect the tea from moisture, light and air, ensuring optimal freshness and quality. Just a few kilometres from our workshops, our teas are packed by a local partner workshop with a strong social purpose.

Filling the tea tins and assembling the gift boxes provides meaningful employment for people with disabilities, enabling them to work in an environment adapted to their abilities and pace.

80% of the workforce consists of employees with recognised disabilities requiring workplace adaptations, whether psychological, physical or mobility-related. This work helps recognise and develop the skills of people with disabilities while promoting their inclusion in the workplace.

It also provides employees with disabilities with genuine recognition through their status as salaried workers, both personally and within their communities, while supporting their full participation in society.

terre d'Oc Natural Home Fragrances: Crafted in Haute-Provence

Since launching our first home fragrance collections more than 30 years ago, we have established a strict set of specifications for every fragrance composition used in our scented products. Our perfumers in Grasse are fully committed to meeting our exacting standards and continuously adapting to our evolving requirements, going well beyond compliance with IFRA and REACH regulations.

Our formulas contain a minimum of 95% naturally derived ingredients, and wherever possible, we incorporate one or more Fair Trade ingredients (such as incense wood from India, rattan reeds from Vietnam and shea butter from Burkina Faso). Our home fragrances are then carefully packaged in our workshops, either by hand or on dedicated production lines, depending on the product range and production volumes.

A first production line is dedicated to filling, capping and labelling formats over 200 ml. This line can process up to 300 bottles per hour (Capilla reed diffusers, Capilla refills, etc.).

A second production line is dedicated to filling, capping, labelling and boxing formats ranging from 5 ml to 250 ml. This line can process up to 3,000 bottles per hour, or 50 products per minute for 10 ml formats (essential oils, essential oil blends and fragrance concentrates, etc.).

The 5S Initiative Introduced by Our Employees and Their Manager: Simple and Effective

The 5S method is a workplace organisation approach designed to optimise working conditions, improve efficiency and create a clean, orderly and safe working environment through the consistent application of clear standards. More than simply a housekeeping technique, the 5S initiative is above all a participative management approach that empowers employees to take an active role in improving the organisation of their workplace.

terre d'Oc Organic Skincare: Crafted in Our Haute-Provence Workshops

Doryan, our Production Manager, takes the utmost care in crafting our skincare products, using formulas made with a minimum of 95% naturally derived ingredients and certified COSMOS Organic or COSMOS Natural by Ecocert. We favour short ingredient lists for greater transparency and easier understanding. Our ethical formulations also incorporate one or more Fair Trade ingredients wherever possible, such as shea butter from Burkina Faso, argan oil from Morocco and sesame oil from Africa.

As with our teas, we have built long-standing Fair Trade partnerships with several women's cooperatives that supply the raw ingredients for our skincare products. We pay them a Fair Trade premium and support them beyond this commitment, notably by providing administrative assistance with organic and Fair Trade certification for the women of Burkina Faso, contributing to the construction of a borehole to provide their village with access to clean water, and supporting the planting of 300 argan trees in 2023 for the women's cooperative in Morocco.

Our predominantly female production team then packages these products in Provence with the greatest care, ready to delight our customers: nourishing body and massage oils, body butters, liquid hand soaps, massage candles and black soaps. Each product is presented in thoughtfully eco-designed packaging.

Eco-Designed Packaging…

As part of our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint, we have taken concrete steps to minimise our packaging as much as possible, while preserving the quality and integrity of our products.

This commitment is reflected in the replacement of secondary packaging with more eco-friendly alternatives, such as using paper bands instead of full boxes, refillable containers fitted with screw caps that provide a practical and sustainable solution for our customers while reducing waste, and bottles made from recyclable, reusable glass or recycled PET, helping to reduce plastic waste.

This commitment is reflected in the replacement of secondary packaging with more eco-friendly alternatives, such as using paper bands instead of full boxes, refillable containers fitted with screw caps that provide a practical and sustainable solution for our customers while reducing waste, and bottles made from recyclable, reusable glass or recycled PET, helping to reduce plastic waste.

 
Posted in: News

Related posts