Heritage is a valuable commodity in the perfume industry, and Berdoues has it in abundance. Founded in 1902 by barber Guillaume Berdoues, the French company has remained a family-owned business over four generations and is currently led by the founder’s great grand-daughter, Sophie Berdoues.
I first heard of the brand last year when its Collection Grands Crus was launched in South Africa (its older collection 1902 might be launched in the country at a later stage).
For obvious reasons, travel is a popular source of inspiration in perfumery. This range of 12 mostly unisex EDPs makes the most of it with an impressive variety of fairly straightforward, feel-good blends that evoke destinations such as Japan (Somei Yoshino), Tahiti (Vânira Moorea), Lebanon (Arz el-Rab) and Costa Rica (Guaria Morada), among others.
Image: MapStudio.
I got to try all of the EDPs that are available in the country at a media launch in Cape Town in February this year. Two, in particular, have become regulars in my fragrance wardrobe.
Taking its cue from the Amazon rainforest and created by Jennifer Riley, Selva do Brazil opens with a super-fresh note of petitgrain from Paraguay. It’s sharp, invigorating and lushly green in character. Notes of tonka bean from Brazil and guaiac wood from Argentina add to the forest-y ambience. It’s a simple composition, but never fails to give me a mood boost.
Created by Philippe Romano, Maasaï Mara is a mellower and warmer, but equally appealing affair. I don’t get the listed opening note of blue camomile from Egypt, but the combo of amber-y labdanum from Spain and buchu from South Africa, with its fruity nuances, do a fine job of conjuring a uniquely African landscape.
I got to interview Sophie Berdoues via email about the importance of heritage, the collection and her work.
What is your main responsibility as president of the company?
I develop and lead the company’s strategy with my team. We define the general objectives, but I leave the final decisions about the financial, material and human resources to execute within the guidelines and decisions taken. I also lead the company’s management committee and am responsible for its results.
What’s the best part of your job?
The team work and launch of new projects.
And the most stressful?
Sometimes having to make important decisions for the business alone.
Berdoues is very much about heritage. Why is it so important to you?
My father, like my grandfather, spent a lot of time and energy to develop high-quality perfumes. My father passed on to me the passion for perfumery, raw materials and, above all, freedom. I am deeply attached to my roots – they give me the strength to move forward with my convictions.
“I am deeply attached to my roots – they give me the strength to move forward with my convictions.”
FAMILY WAY: Sophie Berdoues is very proud of her family’s perfume heritage, which includes, clockwise from top right, her father Pierre, her grandfather Henri and great-grandfather Guillaume. Images: Berdoues.
Why did you launch the Collection Grand Crus?
We wanted to give a nod to my family through perfumes highlighting the most beautiful raw materials of perfumery, which I started to smell at a very young age. This is what seduced my family at the beginning of this story and today our consumers. We wanted to tell a story of travel through natural materials selected for their olfactory qualities – blends like the great French wines.
What criteria do you use for the perfumers who create the fragrances for the Collection?
It all starts with cards, photos, desires and a blank sheet. The destination inspires our perfumers. A lived or fantasised memory, it reveals a world region which, for us, carries history. This creation builds the search for materials where it is best expressed olfactively. The beauty of the world is endless, and so are our creations.
The fragrances are very reasonably priced. How did you achieve that?
We made the strategic choice of placing the entire budget in what is most important to us: perfume. And there, it’s my roots that speak. We have surrounded ourselves with perfumers based in Grasse, the cradle of perfumery in the south of France. For the other aspects of product creation, we have chosen to work with a standard bottle that we have dressed. We also work with local partners for all items of the product.
Berdoues fragrances are available from selected Foschini and Truworths stores. R1 595 for 100ml.
*This post is sponsored by Orleans Cosmetics, the distributor of Berdoues Collection Grands Crus in South Africa.*