Grasse rose centifolia revival: Pierre Chiarla preserves perfume heritage

Pierre Chiarla, a new-generation perfume plant producer in Grasse, France, has revived the cultivation of rose centifolia, jasmine, and tuberose on his family's land. After studying electronic and mechanical engineering, he retrained in landscape design and took over the family farm in 2018, shifting from vegetable farming to flowers his grandmother picked in the 1940s. On 2.5 hectares, he practices organic agriculture, using no chemical treatments during harvest. He is part of the association Les Fleurs d'exception, which fosters knowledge-sharing among growers—a shift from the secretive past. Grasse, a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage site, has relaunched 'chemins parfumés' tours allowing public visits to fields like Chiarla's. He describes the work as a passion and a challenge, noting that a hailstorm three years ago destroyed two months of harvest in fifteen minutes. His office is a field of 2,000 rose bushes in May. Chiarla emphasizes the importance of empirical, oral knowledge passed down by his grandparents, such as predicting flowering based on winter length, now complicated by climate change.