1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 481 Cultural Visa
Ronan didn't interrupt, but listened attentively.

Elian's words clearly reached Ronan's ears:
"Making the Lourmaran Crafts Cooperative a high-end furniture brand cannot be achieved by simply shouting slogans or raising prices. That's too superficial. I know you are a well-known artist, but that's still not enough."

Ronan nodded slightly:

“I understand this principle, and I never thought that I could accomplish it by simply using a crude and brute-force approach.”

Attending F1 Grand Prix for exposure and associating with real big stars are all ways to move closer to the 'high-end', which is why Ronan values ​​his collaboration with Michelin magazine so much.

Without Ines's help, the Lourmaran handicraft cooperative would have remained a 'handicraft stronghold' confined to the Luberon Mountains.

This is currently his most effective means of moving closer to the high-end market.

Although it takes a long time, it will definitely be useful.

But Ronan also knew that this was far from enough.

“I’m sure you’ve thought of many ways, but I have a more convenient one.” Elian leaned forward. “I can help you get the Lourmaran Crafts Cooperative into the supply chain of luxury brands.”

"Hmm?" Ronan made a nasal sound while leaning forward. "What do you mean by 'sending into the luxury goods supply chain'?"

Seeing Ronan's reaction, Elian knew she had found a breakthrough and patiently explained:

"I don't know if you've heard the saying 'Provence is the backyard of luxury goods'? Many international brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Chanel source their products from high-end workshops in Provence."

This was the first time Ronan had heard this information, and he honestly shook his head:

"All I know is that Grasse is the 'heart' of the world's perfume industry, and its perfume workshops are direct raw material suppliers for hundreds of domestic and international perfume brands."

Ronan had been to Grasse, where perfume factories were everywhere.

Ellian smiled and said:
“International brands source far more than just perfumes from Provence. The leather goods, clothing, and bags you see in Paris may also come from Provence, where many high-end workshops are part of their ‘luxury supply chain’.”

Ronan roughly understood what Ellian meant, but he didn't want to become part of the luxury goods supply chain; instead, he wanted to run it himself.

“The situation at the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative is different from theirs.”

Ellian said definitively:
“Yes, they are different, and very different, but the principle is the same. Provence has hundreds of workshops, but only 1% are qualified to be part of the luxury goods supply chain. Do you know what makes them different from the other workshops?”

Ronan shook his head blankly.

All his knowledge of high-end brands came from Sandrine, but Sandrine never told him anything about the 'luxury goods supply chain'.

Elian didn't keep them in suspense and said directly:
"It's about certification. Without the endorsement of a local authoritative and influential institution, it's very difficult to achieve your goals. This is true, and I'm absolutely not exaggerating. Hermès and Van Cleef & Arpels only recognize the Madonna Blue Label, Louis Vuitton acknowledges the Stone House Star pattern, and Chanel acknowledges the Alliance of Crafts authorized by the Saint Honoré emblem—"

Elian only stopped after listing more than a dozen certifications:

“These certifications are not only the entry threshold for luxury goods procurement, but also a powerful competitive advantage when selling to customers. Each certification can increase the product’s price by at least 300%. Therefore, certifications from specific organizations are the ‘cultural visa’ for luxury goods.”

Ronan was completely dumbfounded.

All of what Elian said was things he had never heard before.

He only knew about AOC certification before, and of course, he wouldn't have known it without Juliet's explanation.

But how come these officials know so much about certification?

It's understandable that Juliet is familiar with AOC, as grapes and wines have close ties to the Ministry of Agriculture.

But why do you, from the tourism bureau, know so much about handicraft certification?
“Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment?” Ronan asked politely, “Does the tourism bureau’s business include managing handicraft cooperatives?”

While Ronan was asking questions, Elian took a small sip of her drink, then put down her glass and shook her head.
"It is not under the jurisdiction of the tourism bureau; the handicraft cooperative is under the unified supervision of the regional handicraft alliance."

Ronan looked down and pursed his lips.

But after a long pause, the person on the other end spoke again:

“But these certification bodies are now under the jurisdiction of the Tourism Bureau. We have merged some of the Ministry of Culture’s business, which is part of my job.”

Overseeing the tourism development of a village or city and helping them attract more tourists is only part of Quincy and Ellian's job; they have many other things to do.

For example, Quincy has another goal this year: to work with the Provence regional government to make rosé one of the signature colors of Provence.

Ellian's other job was to take over a portion of the business that had been seized from the Ministry of Culture.

Ronan nearly knocked the cup out of his hand. When he looked up again, he saw that behind Elian there was not only the halo of francs, but also the overlapping images of various seals.

"How can the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative obtain authoritative certification?" Ronan asked expectantly.

This is a direct road to the 'high-end'!
That's a 300% premium, 300%!

How could I not be tempted?!

“It’s difficult. The certifications mentioned above, such as the Madonna Blue Label and the Stone House Star Pattern, all require the use of at least two endangered intangible cultural heritage techniques.” Ellian tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “But there is no official certification body in the entire Provence region that recognizes weaving techniques.”

Ronan smacked his lips.

Yes, weaving is a 'foreign' craft, and official certifications in Provence are definitely focused on local traditional handicrafts.

But Ellian brought this up not to discourage Ronan; he continued, "..."

"But do you have other options?"

“That’s right.” Ellian said solemnly, “You can’t get technical certification through normal channels. You can only apply to other authoritative and influential institutions. But getting certification is not easy, especially in Provence. The certification system here originated from medieval monasteries. Its systematic nature and influence are groundbreaking worldwide. Otherwise, why can luxury goods command such a premium after obtaining Provence certification?”

In 1123, the Leland Abbey issued the first 'blood seal', certifying that certain products from its herb garden possessed 'divine healing' properties, 500 years earlier than the first 'certification' in Italy.

Although the modern certification system originated in Britain at the end of the 18th century, luxury goods sellers prefer to use medieval Europe as a blueprint when telling stories to customers because it has a longer history and appears more 'authoritative'.

After giving Ronan a brief moment to process his thoughts, Elian continued:
"So you have very few choices, and each one is fraught with difficulties. I have a recommendation for you; getting certified by this organization would be a piece of cake for you."

In their recent encounter, Elian expressed her opinion, advising Ronan to do something about getting women out of the house and into society, so her recommendation was pretty obvious.

“A certification related to women?” Ronan asked bluntly.

Elian answered very decisively:
"That's right. The headquarters of 'Liberty Sprouts,' the largest women's foundation in Provence, is located in Avignon. It is a very important organization registered in the Vaucluse cultural system. 'Liberty Sprouts' echoes the newly sprouted shoots in the lavender fields, symbolizing the vitality of women breaking free from constraints. The certification mark is 'Thorns and Sun.' You should have heard of the Fox family of Grasse, right? There are already 27 perfume workshops holding the 'Thorns and Sun' mark that have established long-term cooperation with the Fox family. Their perfumes are very popular locally."

Seeing that Ronan's expression was somewhat serious, Elian added one last instruction:
“You should know how influential the Fox family is in Provence. Although the Thorn Sun logo isn’t as internationally recognized as the Madonna Blue Label or the Stone House Star, it’s extremely well-regarded in Provence, especially among wealthy women. Many rich ladies only recognize this logo.” Just as Ellian said, Ronan had very few options left.

His weaving skills meant he would have a hard time obtaining the proper 'cultural visas' in Provence.

Ronan understood the benefits.

But what's the cost?

"What does the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative need to prepare if it wants to obtain the Thorn Sun certification?" Ronan asked seriously.

Elian knew Ronan was already interested, and now was the crucial moment to launch a full-scale attack; he needed to show some sincerity.
“You don’t need to worry about the materials you need. The conditions of the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative are all met. I can send someone to help you prepare them, and the certificate can be issued within a month. However, I have some additional requirements.”

Ronan leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and instinctively went into defensive mode.
"Is this an additional requirement of the 'Free Sprouts' initiative, or one from the tourism bureau?"

Elian did not hide anything:

"From the Tourism Bureau."

This answer reassured Ronan somewhat.

The tourism board and Ronan share the same goal of making Lourmaran better.

Elrian's request should not harm Ronan's interests, because harming his interests would harm Lourmaran's interests. Ronan was certain that Elrian, who knew him quite well, understood this.

"What are your requirements?" Ronan remained leaning back in his chair, but lowered his hands.

Elian's tone softened, a departure from his previous coldness.
"I hope you can authorize the tourism bureau to use some of the images and pictures of the Lourmarin handicrafts cooperative. I will be responsible for shooting the footage. I will start a travel column about what happens in Lourmarin, updating the content every two weeks or every month for interested tourists from all over the world, so that they know that there is a special corner for women in Provence and Luberon."

Ronan was taken aback, never expecting such a request.

He thought about it carefully and felt there was no reason to refuse:
"can."

Elian finally relaxed. With this crucial piece of material secured, she felt more confident. However, she was less certain about the next requirement:

“Although you haven’t thought about something like this, I believe what happened in Lourmaran will affect many more people. My second request is that if any women who have seen our advertisements become interested in knitting, I hope you can teach them knitting skills so that they can see hope for independent living. However, I will contact you after confirming that the candidates really need ‘help’ so as not to increase your workload. Please believe me, I have absolute experience in screening people.”

This time, Ronan's answer was very straightforward:

"no problem."

A figure appeared in Ronan's mind.

If we break down this second requirement, isn't it just what Batistuta is pursuing?
Batistuta is a very carefree person, but he has two lofty pursuits.

One reason is that weaving art has become popular in Provence and is no longer a niche art form.

My second goal is to help all women in the world who need help.

Elian finally felt completely relieved. She, who had previously been sipping her wine cautiously, finished the entire glass of rosé.

"Okay, that's all for these two requirements."

Ronan's back lifted off the chair, and he involuntarily straightened his neck:
"Gone?"

Ellian smiled and asked in return:

Do you want me to keep making demands?

"Ah, no, no, no." Ronan quickly poured wine for Elian. "Well, let's eat. We've been talking so much that the food is getting cold."

Is this a request to me, or is it an attempt to offer me kindness?
The certification was obtained so easily?

The appearance of this person named Elian, and her subsequent behavior, left Ronan completely baffled, unable to process what she was going on about for even a minute.

Elian took a bite of food, then suddenly spoke up again:
"If I had to say, there would be a third request."

Ronan's tension rose again.

Elian lowered his head and took a bite of the food:

"Be nice to them."

Ronan finally relaxed.

He understood.

This Elian is basically a female version of Barty; all she thinks about is women, nothing else. The only difference is that her image of women is different from Barty's.

With this understanding, her behavior becomes much easier to comprehend.

“No problem, I can guarantee that.” Ronan raised his glass and toasted Elian.

The second half of the dinner became a bit boring.

As Ronan observed, Elian only cared about women and paid little attention to anything else.

But Ronan and she were not the same kind of people, and their conversation was very difficult.

Ronan couldn't understand what Elian was talking about.

Elian wasn't interested in the topics Ronan brought up.

But an awkward silence wouldn't do, so Ronan had to rack his brains to find topics to talk about with her.

After searching and searching, you know what? We actually found a second topic that we could continue the conversation on.

However, it still couldn't escape the main theme—it's still a woman.

"You said Juliet got promoted?" Ronan asked Ellian, just to be on the safe side, mentioning Juliet, an acquaintance of his in the government.

Unexpectedly, I heard some shocking news from Elian.

“Yes, he’s been promoted. It’s already been announced.” Elian nodded affirmatively.

(End of this chapter)