Found across wide areas of Southern and Eastern Europe, Juniperus communis is a small tree that grows wild in poor, dry soil, forming slow-growing bushes or trees that rarely exceed four meters in height.
This evergreen softwood is known for its sharp needles and especially for its highly aromatic berries, which are used in cuisine, in the production of gin and in perfumery.

The harvesting of Juniper berries is a tradition in the Balkans, from Slovenia to Macedonia, and the region has a highly developed Juniper trade, in particular with Germany.
In the autumn the berries ripen and take on a dark blue color. Farmers in these regions harvest Juniper by beating the trees with a stick to make the berries fall and gathering them on sheets. The berries are then sorted into two or three grades, depending on the destination.
The biggest producing country is Macedonia, where this activity is often linked to the gathering of Oak Moss.
Biolandes sources its Juniper in this country, relying on its thorough knowledge of local harvesters to collect berries that are distilled in France, resulting in a high-quality essential oil that captures the olfactory richness of the ripe berry.
Biolandes also offers two other Juniper products:
An organic (Ecocert EC / NOP) essential oil of Juniper Berry, distilled by Biolandes Bulgaria using certified organic berries from the Rhodope Mountains in the south of the country;
An essential oil of Juniper twigs (needles plus wood), also distilled in Bulgaria, with notes that are completely different from those of the berry oil.