Harvesting in Auvergne with Pierre, herb grower.
Before the bottle, there is a harvest. In the Haute-Loire region, Pierre, a farmer-herbalist and partner of Apoticari, cultivates the plants and oversees their processing. From the garden rows to the drying racks, we explore a craft that relies as much on the eye as it does on the hand.
01
Knowing what you harvest
Lemon verbena, peppermint, cornflower: the plants we name on our labels first have a place in a garden. They grow, bloom, and are harvested at different times. The farmer-herbalist’s work involves following these stages, then choosing the right moment and the right part of the plant to harvest.
At Pierre’s, the harvesting is done by hand. The movement is precise: grasping the stem, cutting, and gathering the plants without crushing them. It is hands-on work that allows for close inspection of what is being picked as it happens. For Apoticari, this direct connection with the person who grows the plants puts a face to their origin.
At the garden’s pace.
02
After the picking
Harvesting does not end the work. Plants intended for drying are placed on racks, under shelter, in a space where air can circulate. How they are distributed matters: a compact pile and an airy layer do not dry in the same way. One must return to observe the material, follow its evolution, and know when it is ready.
Distillation follows a different path. In the still, steam passes through the plants, then cools and turns back into liquid. The aromatic water collected is the hydrosol. Harvesting, drying, distilling: these processes require different tools, but they are all based on the same knowledge of the plant.
03
From the garden to the treatment
A hydrosol retains something very tangible from the plant: its scent—sometimes subtle, sometimes bolder than one might have imagined. The scent of verbena is lemony; that of mint, fresh and herbaceous. These differences are felt in the daily gesture of a mist on the skin.
Returning to the garden helps us understand what is in the bottle. Behind a botanical name, there is a crop, a harvest, and a processing effort. It is this continuity that we wish to make visible.