Ile Maurice: When Handicraft Needs a Scent of Authenticity
All Africa, Mauritania
New ways have to be found to attract potential tourists. The latter must be offered genuine exotic products that are also exclusive. This needs commitment.
Dacom Ltd, found in Solitude, has developped a line of products with natural local flagrances with the help of Compagnons du Parfum.
The aim of welcoming each year two million tourists has set a new context in the sector’s policy. To sustain this prospective growth, authorities have fostered the development of tourist villages and they are seeking after more Mauritian-made products to valorise the uniqueness of the destination.
A pioneering concept in that field is to associate the natural scents of the country to tourist products. Dacom company, in Solitude, has thus developed scented candles for the flagship of our hotels. Tourist Villages chairman, Kris Seeboo, comments this initiative as a genuine example of what should be done.
Other examples of Mauritian-made high design production already exist, but most of this is directly meant for export and, as such, do not concern expressly the tourist village. As a stakeholder in two of these businesses, Passion Jewellery and Histoire Marine ship model, Francois de Grivel explains that only 10% of the jewellery goes to hotels, whereas 90% of the ship models are bought by tourists. Moreover, Mauritians intervene in the execution of end-products, which are not particularly Mauritian in essence.
Even if Dacom targets hotels as a market pool, it comes nearer to the tourist village aims where the end-product is 100% Mauritian. To achieve that, Dacom has sought technology transfer and expertise from Compagnons du Parfum. Based in the French town of Grasse, the Mecca for the perfume industry, Compagnons du Parfum sent two representatives who shared their savoir-faire with the Mauritian team last week. Nicolas Lansac and Stephan Petrella thus trained Dacom staff to manufacture scented candles of vegetal origin.
Scented candles are currently a craze, in particular in hotel establishments, where they are most appreciated. But, just as we like to choose our matches and our diyas, top-of-the-range customers want quality. For these much sought-after decorative accessories, Dacom company has taken care of everything from raw materials to packaging.
Denis Serret, the production manager of Dacom, explains that these candles are designed so as not to emit any smoke. Smoke, in addition to not being very aesthetic, betrays an industrial production, a recourse to components such as paraffin that can be a health hazard. This smoke could indeed cause cancer. Also, “paraffin” products are not welcome in some shops.
At Dacom, Compagnons du Parfum initially tested flagrances and natural products to locate elements that would, in the end-products, reflect Mauritian identity or regional peculiarities. In the subtle range of the perfumers, natural components such as copra, coconut, have been exploited for their scent or texture.
The finished products can accommodate original branding for hotels that are eager to develop their own line of candles. “Coloring of the candles is obtained with the use of natural pigments, after a preliminary test”, adds Nicolas Lansac. During the week, Nicolas Lansac and his colleague trained a Dacom employee for intensive production. This employee can now produce around 1,000 candles daily. Techniques of moulding, which can give impeccable forms, have also been transmitted.
So Essentz candles, the Dacom label, has blossomed in different finery: glass or porcelain containers, with or without effigy. “We provide personalised products thanks to a printing technique on the container or the candles, dispensed by our collaborator Alain Thenin”, indicates Denis Serret. This new product adds to a whole range of care accessories such as soaps, perfumes All madein Mauritius.