Orange blossom, a heritage of Vallauris-Golfe Juan

Famous for its pottery, Vallauris-Golfe Juan is no less famous for its orange blossom… Orange wine, bitter orange marmalade, orange blossom water – there are many regional products made from orange blossom to be discovered in Vallauris-Golfe Juan. The orange tree has made a major contribution to the town’s economic development since the late 19th century. Today, local producers work exclusively for Chanel.

See you on 3 May 2026 for the Orange Blossom Festival in Vallauris!

The Orange Blossom Festival,

an emblematic event in Vallauris

On Sunday 3 May 2026, Vallauris will be celebrating the Orange Blossom Festival in the courtyard of the Nérolium agricultural cooperative, an emblematic event that celebrates the local heritage around the bigarade tree, a unique local speciality.

Organised by the Comité de la Saint-Sauveur, this convivial festival brings Provençal traditions back to life with period costumes, wheelbarrows and decorated carts, in an authentic, festive and family-friendly atmosphere.

With free parking, an on-site refreshment bar and a setting steeped in history, the event promises to immerse you in the soul of Vallauris and the expertise associated with orange blossom.

A Vallaurian microclimate for an orange tree like no other

If the cultivation of the Bigaradier, a small orange tree between 3 and 10 metres tall, rapidly became the jewel in the crown of the Vallaurian economy from the end of the 19th century, it was of course thanks to the expansion of the perfume industry, but also and above all thanks to a particularly favourable microclimate. The city of potters still boasts some forty orange blossom growers.

To meet the ever-increasing demand for Neroli, the essence of orange blossom, four hundred sour orange trees were recently replanted on the Château Robert estate.

The bigaradier has a special feature compared with other orange trees: all its parts can be used, and its properties are used for pharmaceutical, food, perfume and cosmetic purposes. This is why this orange tree requires rigorous care. In Vallauris-Golfe Juan, the climate and soil are perfectly suited to growing this tree.

With temperatures as low as -8°C, the Côte d’Azur microclimate means the tree can reach its maximum longevity of 600 years!

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Quality that’s unique in France

The orange blossom produced in Vallauris-Golfe Juan is unique in France.

Vallauris-Golfe Juan is the only town, along with Bar-sur-Loup, where the flower is still grown. A handful of growers, who have clung to their roots, continue to produce it using ancestral know-how.

Today, the harvest is around 15 tonnes, compared with 2,467 tonnes in 1912, but the precious little flower is still in great demand from the world’s leading perfumers.

As an integral part of Vallauris-Golfe Juan’s identity, a traditional festival in its honour is held every year in May, when the flower is harvested. This country festival features parades of flower-pickers in period costume, shows, lunch, a ball, competitions and demonstrations…

A date not to be missed!

Find out more about the orange blossom festival

Le Nérolium: a cooperative to preserve the local heritage

The creation of the Nerolium agricultural cooperative dates back to the end of the 19th century. The perfume boom in Grasse required more raw materials. The first real flower crops were developed, in particular citrus trees in Vallauris and Bar-sur-Loup.

However, the perfume manufacturers imposed their conditions on the owners of the big orange trees. The latter decided to form an agricultural syndicate in order to break free from their stranglehold. It wasn’t until 1904 that the syndicate decided to distil the bigarade flowers itself, adopting a cooperative status. The cooperative still exists, but for safety reasons, distillation is now entrusted to the Maison Mul factories.

Today, you can visit the Bitter Orange Ecomuseum and stock up on regional products at the Nerolium shop.

Find out more about Nerolium

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An exclusive partnership with Chanel

Maison Chanel and the Côte d’Azur have had a special relationship since the 19th century, when Gabrielle Chanel, known as “Coco Chanel”, settled on the Côte d’Azur.

The Neroli produced from the orange blossom in Vallauris-Golfe-Juan is sold entirely to Chanel. The precious “Nectar” is used in the composition of some of the world’s greatest perfumes, including the famous Chanel N° 5.

In 2020, Chanel and the Mul family, partners since 1987, set up a programme to plant 600 sour orange trees in Vallauris-Golfe Juan. The aim is to increase the production of orange blossom from 5 tonnes to 50 tonnes in order to relaunch and secure the orange blossom sector and control product traceability.

“PARIS-RIVIERA is a luminous, floral fragrance that reflects the sunny, joyful spirit of the Côte d’Azur in the 1920s. Olivier Polge, Chanel’s nose

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