Rosa damascena is the most widely-used rose in perfumery. It accounts for 90% of the oils and absolutes produced, with Rosa centifolia extracts accounting for the rest. The main Rose producing countries are Turkey, Bulgaria, Iran, Morocco, India and China.
The bushes blossom once a year, from late May to late June. The flowers are harvested by hand and distilled or extracted fresh. One hectare of land can produce 3.5 to 5 tons of flowers, enough to produce about 1 kg of oil. The same quantity of flowers produces 10 times more concrete than oil.

Rose growing operations are concentrated in an area called the Valley of Roses in central Bulgaria, around the city of Kazanlak. Bulgaria is the historical birthplace of rose oil, a product upon which the country enjoyed a monopoly until World War I. Production of the flowers has expanded rapidly since the late nineteen-nineties and has now reached 6,000 tons per year. Our subsidiary Biolandes Bulgarie and the history of Rose growing in Bulgaria can be discovered in our book "Journey to the rose country".

Turkey remains the number one producer of Rose for perfumery, with about 8,000 tons of flowers harvested per year. The plants are cultivated in some 60 villages in the Isparta region, in the mountains north of Antalya. Roses are planted in family gardens, and due to variations in altitude the harvest season can last seven to eight weeks. The flowers are processed in the factories of a dozen producers, of which Biolandes Gül is one of the largest.

The growing operations are located mainly in southern Morocco around El Kelaa M’Gouna, east of Ouarzazate. Rose bushes are used to mark the borders of cultivated plots of land on the banks of the M’Gouna and Dra Rivers. Moroccan Rose usually blossoms in late April. It yields very little essential oil and is mainly used to produce absolute in two factories in the valley, including Biolandes Maroc.

It is generally agreed that Rosa damascena originated in the Shiraz region of Iran. Rose water has been part of Iranian culture since ancient times. Many historical documents attest to the importance of this product in trade and even as a prized commodity in the payment of war ransoms.
The Damascena variety is found in large quantities in several regions of the country, where the plants are grown at altitudes of 2,000 to 3,000 meters in very dry climates. The fields are laid out around sources of water, and the bushes are nourished by irrigation systems that are often very old and elaborate.
Technically, the cultivation is quite similar to the methods used in Bulgaria and Turkey, with similar blooming times (late May and June). The high altitude and arid climate allow the plants to grow and develop with no need for phytosanitary products, making Iranian Rose "naturally" organic.
These growing operations supply a dynamic rose water industry, and for a long time Rose oil has been considered a "byproduct" of the production of rose water. The flowers are single-distilled in small traditional stills, and the oil that floats on the surface is separated from the distillate, which is sold as rose water. In addition to this artisanal activity, a number of sizable industrial distilleries are in operation, producing both rose water and oil for export.
We are able to offer an certified organic essential oil (Ecocert EC) of Iranian Rose through a partnership with a distillery supplied by a cooperative of flower producers.