Albert Vieille

Marius Laborma’s son-in-law, Albert Vieille, joined the company in 1948 and took over part of the Laborma factory business to found the Albert Vieille company, specializing in the distribution of natural aromatic materials. Over the years, he forged a wide network of partners in several countries. Many raw materials then began being imported, from Tunisian neroli to German chamomile from Morocco, from Indian jasmine to mandarin petitgrain from Egypt.

Georges Ferrando, who joined the company in 1984, was appointed Chairman and CEO and the business expanded and diversified, notably with the acquisition of Aromasur, an extraction and distillation site in Seville, Spain. This year also marked the start of the first strong guidelines for social and environmental responsibility.

A quality control laboratory was established at the Vallauris location. All raw materials used by the company began undergoing rigorous physicochemical, chromatographic, and olfactory testing, leading to the creation of a quality benchmark system. A Research & Development department was also formed, with a pilot molecular-distillation unit and a production pilot.

The Fondation Nouvel Air, with a French name that is a play on words meaning both “new air” and “new era,” was created to provide local solutions to improve indoor air quality through purification and olfactory techniques. The creation of this foundation is in keeping with Albert Vieille’s raison d’être.

Albert Vieille joined the Grasse Expertise collective trademark that unites professionals from the fragrance, flavors, cosmetics, and health and well-being industries in the region.

Grasse expertise gathers a complete ecosystem including entrepreneurs, creators/designers, experts, growers, scientists, training organizations, trade associations, institutional and territorial actors, as well as competitiveness clusters.

This year was a turning point for the company as it joined the Givaudan group, world leader on the fragrance and flavors market, a new chapter that strengthens our expertise in fragrances and aromatherapy.