On Reunion Island, get to know Rodolphe Morel, farmer Les Essentiels de Grand Coude

Proud of his Reunionese origins and the land that surrounds him, Rodolphe Morel has revived a part of Reunion's agricultural history. It was on the heights of Grand Coude that he launched his business. Today, he perpetuates the cultivation of geraniums in a responsible and environmentally-friendly way. He is committed to preserving local biodiversity and promoting endemic species

We're at the foot of Morne Langevin, so we're the last bastion between a totally preserved primary forest and the agricultural part of Grand Coude. I like the term "last bastion" because it's in the spirit of what we do. We created the Essentiels de Grand Coude group with this in mind.

We grow geraniums, as was done historically, but we're careful with nature. When we clear land, when we plant, we make sure that it is preserved and we go even further in restoration, so we replant and multiply on our plots.

So today, the product that stands out is the geranium, because it's the emblem, the standard-bearer of our know-how, of our heritage, but we also promote other products endemic to the island: cryptomeria, camphor, turmeric and other products that give us a dynamic, a common thread in what we do.

We make geranium in the traditional way, with very little mechanization, so we're going to need manpower, and so create jobs and also participate in the development, I'd say a little social, of the Hauts de La Réunion.

The still in which we distill today is my grandfather's, which is 70 years old. It has a real history, and geranium was really a key crop in the island's agricultural development, so we have a story to tell, and beyond the final product, it's this history and this know-how that we want to pass on.