Fragrance Du Bois works with Asia Plantation Capital to cement supply for sustainable oud

Fragrance Du Bois has cut out the middlemen in part of its supply chain by acquiring its own source of the perfume ingredient, oud. Oud (also known as agarwood) comes from the Aquilaria tree, and is in high demand from high-end brands in the fragrance industry. Natural oud provides fragrance with depth and longevity.

With demand increasing and finite supplies dwindling, Fragrance Du Bois decided to work with sustainable plantation company Asia Plantation Capital. Initially, Fragrance Du Bois will be investing more than US$5 million over the next 12 months in plantations that will be managed by Asia Plantation Capital, financed by private equity and perfume industry partners who have recently joined the company.

Fragrance Du Bois' oud (agarwood) and perfume oil plantations will be managed by Asia Plantation Capital, which is expanding beyond Aquilaria trees to patchouli, vetiver, tonka beans, bamboo, rose, pine, cypress and lemongrass, with many others in the pipeline.

Besides establishing its own plantations for oud in Malaysia and acquiring mature agarwood tree plantations from Asia Plantation Capital in Thailand, Fragrance Du Bois is looking at future acquisitions in India and Indonesia to provide a comprehensive range of high quality regional products. This will allow its core Fragrance Du Bois range of perfumed candles, perfumed wood chips and oils to be home-grown and sustainably produced.

In addition, Fragrance Du Bois' perfume creation business Oud Du Bois is in place to create fragrances for other international brands and perfume houses, using the pure oud oil it will be sourcing itself, along with other 100% sustainable and natural oils.

Nicola Parker, Brand Director of Fragrance Du Bois, said, "This is something we have been planning for a long time, and is designed to build on the unique success of our Soil to Oil to You story that has captured the imaginations of so many people. We can now expand to include other natural oils we use in our perfume creations. I can remember the whole buzz Anita Roddick created in the industry when she developed the Body Shop brand and range using natural and sustainable ingredients. By working with the experts at Asia Plantation Capital, we have been able to take this concept a stage further, so that we actually grow our own ingredients and, in due course, even refine them ourselves."

Parker concluded, "In today's consumer markets we find that our clients are not only conscience of where their products come from, but also their quality and purity. We believe that we are now the only luxury perfume brand that can actually do this, and we stand behind our Soil to Oil to You mantra as the key to everything we do and all the fragrances we create for our growing chain of boutiques."

Said Gary Crates, European CEO for Asia Plantation Capital: "Indeed, we are founding partners in the business and have invested heavily in the early seed capital and development of the brand. That said, it's very rewarding to see the brand now expanding and owning its own plantations under our management. Interestingly enough, this is a trend we are now seeing with other major perfume houses and brands. We are currently in the final stages of establishing similar sustainable and verifiable oud and mixed species supply chains with several of them. We believe that this is a growing trend in the global retail business, where major brands have to get more involved in their supply chains, especially where natural substances are concerned.

"In the case of agarwood, which is endangered, a greater involvement becomes an ethical imperative. The companies we are working with now have all identified this trend, and have also realised that it makes good commercial sense to not only safeguard their own supply chain, but also to be able to secure products at a discount to open market prices. Add this to the attendant sustainability and ethical approach, and you have the triple bottom line that we are all looking for in today's business world."

All the oud used by Fragrance Du Bois is CITES certified and guaranteed as to source, being both legal and sustainable, with respect shown for the environment, as well as the communities that live in and around the plantations on which the Aquilaria trees are grown.

Fragrance Du Bois is known for an expanding range of original, oud-based perfumes and associated products. Fragrance Du Bois is adding to its boutiques in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, with new outlets opening in Dubai, London, Paris, Luxembourg and Geneva between now and the early part of 2016.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about Fragrance du Bois' popup store

Du running 30 Days of Sharing campaign, umrah call privileges for Ramadhan

UAE telco du is celebrating the values represented by the month of Ramadhan with its 30 Days of Sharing campaign throughout the month. Social media users can use the hashtag #30DaysofSharing on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to share what makes Ramadhan special to them.

The company will donate AED10 for every post made using the #30DaysofSharing hashtag to its annual iftar tables initiative, du said, in which iftar meals (meals for the breaking of the fast after sunset) will be distributed to those less fortunate at three locations across the UAE.

The campaign is part of a number of Ramadhan initiatives for the company, including activities for employees and sponsorship of the Al Majlis Ramadan tent at Madinat Jumeirah. Du has also invited the public to help to distribute the iftar meals, and allocated AED1.57 million, 5% of the monthly fees from its Emirati Plan subscriptions, to employ 25 Emirati women to cook meals for distribution through the Mawaed Al Rahman locations.

Du has also created a Ramadhan offer specially for umrah. Customers travelling to Saudi Arabia during Ramadhan will enjoy unlimited free incoming calls on all networks. The offer is automatically activated as soon as the customer activates roaming on their mobile before travelling, the telco said.

There is also a Smart Plan offer in force this month. Subscribers can select a preferred local national, mobile or landline number and get 300 minutes free to call that number anywhere in the UAE, on any network, during Ramadhan with the with The Smart Plan 300, 600 and 1000. Subscribers which opt in can also enjoy more minutes for the month: 600 flexible minutes for AED300 per month, 1,200 flexible minutes for AED600 per month or 2,500 flexible minutes for AED1,000 and up to 12GB of data.

Hashtag: #30DaysofSharing