About Us

Who are Tortue Rouge?

We're a small group of people, both English and French, who've left often 'high flying' careers to do something in which we believe passionately. We harness the power of plants to create the finest possible quality of organic body and health care products for both people and the animals they love.

Genuinely organic

It is essential that medicinal and aromatic plants destined to improve the well being of others are free from all substances that could reduce or modify their therapeutic effects.

All Tortue Rouge’s products are 100% organic.
• we use crop rotation, green manure and compost to build soil fertility
• we conserve biodiversity and care for wildlife
• we avoid genetically modified organisms
• we avoid pesticides and preservatives
• we are regulated by ECOCERT in France and work with suppliers similarly regulated in other countries
• everything we produce is fully traceable back to the fields, forests and mountainsides of origin.

We go further

We do all we can to maximise then conserve the therapeutic value of the plant.

This begins with our choice of plants to cultivate. A plant is at its therapeutic best when it is growing in an area where it would grow naturally, so we don’t focus on yield – we focus on harmony. We also cultivate for therapeutic value.

When we wildcraft we only do so in the wild areas certified by ECOCERT to be organic. Our wildcrafters have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the plants they are harvesting and know the best conditions in which to pick and, vitally what and what not to pick. The choice of time and conditions for harvesting are key to optimising the concentration of active ingredients.

Wherever possible we grow plants that are disappearing in the wild. We work with a number of small mountain farmers who each have tens of years of specialist local knowledge and experience in different types of production, from organic tinctures to the traditional Bach flower remedies.

Complete Traceability

We know where all our plants come from. This is particularly vital for quality essential oils as the distillation process can produce profound chemical changes within the plant material.
We distil to maximise the active ingredients we need for a particular product.

All our processing is done with complete respect for the plant and its environment.

Packaging

Whilst we use glass for packaging most of our products, we also use PET bottles for the following reasons:

Performance – it has excellent barrier properties and so prevents oxygen from gaining access to the bottle contents, thereby extending shelf life.

Environmental – less energy is used in producing a PET bottle compared with glass and the plastic can be recycled. The bottles are lighter than glass and so less energy is expended during transportation.

Where are we based?

Our production is centred in a 200 acre domaine in the Herault region of the South of France, a land famed for its mountain springs. The Sainte - Odile spring, famous for miracle cures of serious skin problems, is a short drive away. Our own water in the Val de Nize is said to be particulary good for eye complaints.

Why Tortue Rouge?

We chose our name ‘red turtle’ because of its strong symbolism. ‘Turtle Island’ was the American Indian name for the USA. In that culture the Ojibwa, Saulteaux, Cree and Iroquois people viewed the Turtle as Mother Earth and associated it with respect for the Earth and its elements. The Turtle also symbolised for them strength, wisdom, respect and peace of mind and the ability to slow down the metabolism. Members of the Turtle Clan move slowly, teach patience and enjoy helping things grow, both plants and people. They also require the freedom to do their own thing, just as the Turtle has its freedom in the waters.

We set up Tortue Rouge to develop our own Turtle Clan: not only to grow and process medicinal and aromatic plants of the finest possible quality, but also to share the little paradise we farm with others who would like to learn more about harnessing the power of plants.

It’s not just the American culture that reveres the turtle or tortoise. In Chinese mythology the tortoise was one of the four sacred creatures and symbolised long life – many tortoises live to be 150 or more. It was also the emblem of the Chinese royal family.

We believe in the power of plants to heal and extend lives.

Hindus believed that Vishnu, the protector of the Universe, appeared on the tortoise Kurma, carrying a mountain on his back.

At times getting the company off the ground has felt like carrying a mountain around on our backs. But the pain quickly dissolved in the satisfaction of creating therapeutic massage oils that really do work, hand cut soaps that contain no chemicals whatsoever but keep their fragrance right to the end of the bar; and 100% organic flower remedies that can alleviate the stresses and strains of modern life for both people and animals.

We hope you’ll want to try our products and be part of the Turtle Clan!