1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 361 The Learning Journey Officially Begins

Grasse is a small town in southeastern France with a population of 4.

This small town is nestled between mountains and the sea, with a humid climate, plenty of sunshine, and an altitude between 200 and 500 meters. The surrounding hills are covered with fields of flowers, producing 700 million kilograms of various flowers annually.

I came to Ronan in winter and didn't see any beautiful flower fields along the way.

But Grasse's annual Rose Festival in May and Jasmine Festival in August attract over a million visitors each year, demonstrating just how captivating the scenery is.

It could be said that the tourism industry in this small town is dozens of times larger than that in the Luberon Mountains. However, Grasse does not rely on tourism for development, as 80% of the perfumes in France are produced in Grasse.

These exquisite French perfumes set sail from Grasse and are sold all over the world.

During the Middle Ages, Grasse was renowned for its leather tanning and glove-making craftsmanship, with its leather artisans and glove masters being celebrated throughout Europe.

However, the leather tanning process at the time had an unpleasant smell, and wealthy bourgeoisie and nobles complained that their leather gloves and accessories emitted an unpleasant odor. Until one day, a craftsman came up with the idea of ​​immersing his works in a fragrant bath.

Thus, from the 16th century onwards, the gloves sold by Grasse artisans were scented, and the fragrance they emitted became a new selling point.

The perfume industry's flourishing in Grasse is also thanks to the land's natural advantages—it's suitable for growing most aromatic plants and seems to have been born for perfume.

In the 17th century, plants from various continents were introduced to Grasse; jasmine came from India, and tuberose originated in Italy.

In the 18th century, the leather industry was abandoned, and the perfume industry became the main industry in Grasse.

Although Ronan missed the beautiful flower fields, he did appreciate the exotic charm of Grasse.

Due to its geographical location, Grasse's architecture has a strong Genoese Italian influence, and its plants are also tropical varieties, making it completely different from the mountain scenery of Luberon.

Grasse has three perfume museums of different themes and sizes, some run by the Fox family and others established by other perfume brands.

Ronan and Ines met at the earliest and largest perfume museum established by the Fox family.

The museum is located on Via Fragonard in the old town.

The atmosphere of Grasse's old town has that relaxed, pleasant, and antique charm unique to Provence. As Ronan drove along the road, he couldn't help but hum a song happily.

He didn't seem to be out working at all; he seemed more like a tourist.

This feeling intensified when Ronan arrived at the entrance of the perfume museum and met the president and the 'guide' she had arranged.

This is not where Ines and the Fox family discussed their collaboration.

After settling Ronan in, she had to continue her journey, so the editor-in-chief of Michelin magazine didn't even get out of the car. Upon seeing Ronan, she simply rolled down the back window and said to the fair-skinned boy who looked about the same age as Vieri:
"This is Ronan, the important client you're hosting today. After the museum visit, take him to try some local specialties for lunch. In the afternoon, take him wherever he wants to go. Understand?"

The boy stood at attention, legs pressed together, and said:
"Understood, understood. I will take good care of Mr. Ronan and explain everything about the Glass and Fox families to him!"

Ines's gaze softened considerably when he looked at Ronan.

Have fun, and have a wonderful day!

Ronan never revealed his true purpose for coming to Grasse, and Ines naturally assumed he was there for tourism, so he arranged for a Grasse tourism editor from Michelin magazine to be his 'guide'.

As Ines's limousine drove away, the boy politely introduced himself:
"Hello, Mr. Ronan! My name is Cherno, and I'm an editor at Michelin Magazine. Today, I'll be showing you around Glass!"

"Thank you for your hard work." Ronan first expressed his gratitude, then said with a smile, "Just call me Ronan, no need to be so polite."

The editor named Chernow shook his head repeatedly:

"No, no, the editor-in-chief said you are the most valued customer."

Ines had last arranged for someone to act as a tour guide when taking his son to Cannes for a visit and to see the Cannes Film Festival. Upon suddenly receiving this 'tour guide' assignment, Cherno and his superiors both concluded that Ronan must be just as important as the editor-in-chief's son!

How could we be negligent?

Cherno was very humble towards Ronan, and would deliberately lower his head when speaking.

Similarly, he was very conscientious, and even before entering the museum, he began to introduce the information about the place to Ronan:

"The museum in front of us was completed in 1975 and was the first perfume museum in Grasse and France. At the time, this was undoubtedly a bold move. In order to make the museum visit experience even more perfect, the museum's owners, the Fox family, purchased many antique collections related to perfume, allowing visitors to learn about the development of perfume from ancient times to the present."

"So this really is a museum?" Ronan asked in surprise, looking at the yellow building in front of him.

He thought the hype here outweighed the substance.

Cherno said with a smile:
"A genuine museum, with ancient Egyptian blush and medieval sachets, all of which the Fox family spent a lot of money to buy or auction from all over the world."

To demonstrate his professional competence, Cherno spoke in a tone similar to that of a tour guide, leading Ronan into the museum while continuing to explain its background:
"The museum is divided into five main sections, arranged chronologically and historically, spanning four thousand years: ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary, each period having a unique connection with perfume. In addition, the museum explores contemporary themes: elegance, classicism, magic, vitality, lightness, and hygiene."

The museum displays many priceless treasures, aiming to showcase the allure of fragrance from ancient times to the present, featuring alabaster, ceramics, glazed pottery, and exquisite metalwork related to fragrance. I swear that a visit to this museum will leave you with a lasting impression.

Ronan nodded silently. Besides learning about the successful business model of museum-perfume in Grasse, he also wanted to learn from the Lourmaran government.

In April, the rosé wine museum on the commercial street will also open. Although there certainly won't be any priceless antiques there, there are other things to learn about.

He asked Cherno, who was standing next to him:

"How much is the ticket?"

Since it's a proper museum, it definitely needs to charge an entrance fee.

Even in public museums like the Grané Museum, only a small portion is free; admission requires a full fee.

Ronan guessed that these private museums would have to charge admission fees even more, and that might just be the beginning of their 'business model'.

To everyone's surprise, Cherno shook his head and said:

"It's free; everything inside is free to visit."

Ronan was taken aback.

The fact that there's no entrance fee suggests there's more potential for 'transformation' inside.

Which capitalist would do a business that loses money?

As they chatted, the two finally entered the interior of France's first perfume museum.

A pretty girl with a distinct fragrance walked over and politely asked the two of them:
Is this your first time visiting?

Cherno shook his head, saying he had been here several times before.

Ronan nodded honestly and said it was his first time here.

The girl smiled and led Ronan to a place:
"First-time customers need to have their 'olfactory profile' created. I'll take you there to register first. Just leave your name, phone number, and home address."

Ronan followed behind the girl at a leisurely pace.

Today's learning journey has officially begun.

(End of this chapter)