The information below is the opinion of this writer. It's not a research project so it contains no references. I don't have the time to do such a project but when/if I do have the time, I will include the appropriate references. In the meantime, folks can accept or reject this information but if they want to challenge it, the monkey is on their backs to disprove what I have written .. ;-p I have a fair amount of knowledge of Rose Otto production in Turkey, I've been an avid student of history for over 40 years and Turkish history over 20 years, I've visited the Isparta Rose Fields for the last five years and closely observed and studied the entire scope of Rose Otto production. Some of the information presented here conflicts with rumors concerning Rose Otto found in some aromatherapy reference books and with data presented as marketing information by some essential oil dealers. It's not my intent to be ornary or disagreeable but rather to tell it like it is - not like we wish it was. There is no information contained herein that cannot be confirmed by those with inquiring minds. If your idea of research is asking questions to your favorite EO dealer or reading your favorite EO reference manual, then you do not have an inquiring mind - you only have a desire to acquire easily-obtained information and you might remain in the dark. It is from these sources that the rumors and misinformation begins and is perpetuated.
I will start by saying that Rosa damascena (Damask Rose) can be found growing wild and/or cultivated in many places on Earth - but there are only two locations where growing conditions are such that we can call them ideal - the Isparta Valley of Turkey and the Kazanluk Valley of Bulgaria. I have an acquaintance who experimented with commercial cultivation of Rosa damascena in Zambia - the results were less than desirable. Two years ago, I exported over one metric ton of Rosa damascena rootstock and cuttings to a USDA project in Madagascar. The latest information I've received on that project indicates that even though the recipients of those rootstocks and cuttings used the correct procedures in planting and maintaining the plants, the results are not very favorable and we shouldn't be looking for commercially produced Rose Otto from Madagascar - or from anywhere else for that matter. If you don't have large fields of Roses in an area, its not smart to build a Rose distillation facility there.I'm not going to say that those folks putting out bad info are trying to deceive us - though some of them might be if they think it will make their product look superior to that of other sellers. Most folks just don't understand the realities of the operation - they go by what they have read or have been told and they grasp that portion of the false information that will support their position when they tell the stories. I'm happy to tell it like it is whether I sell another drop of Rose Otto or not - I'm happy to educate folks on Rose Otto production. I don't depend on others for information on Rose Otto as I've been living the reality down where the rubber meets the road for a long time.
An example of misinformation: One of the industry publications recently had a story saying that Rosa damascena doesn't usually grow above 500 meters .. that is wrong. Isparta is at 900 plus meters - that's why the Roses grow so well there. Chris Ziegler recently harvested her Rosa damascena and made Rose Petal Jam .. she has it all on a URL on these pages. Chris lives outside Denver, Colorado. The altitude of Denver is a bit more than 500 meters - its closer to 1,400 meters.More clarifications follow on these pages.
Photo 01: This trip began at the General Directorate of the Turkish Rose Grower's Association. The General Director, Sinasi Olgun, is a long-time friend of mine, a Haji and a kind gentleman. Butch Owen is standing on the left.
Photo 02: : Sinasi in a Rose field with the owner of the field. Each
farmer owns his own field(s). There are no particular sizes to the
fields since one farmer might be able to dedicate more land to Roses
than can another farmer. The fields are separated by a road or some
other boundary. It is NOT a Co-Op cultivation effort, it is a Co-Op in
that the farmers sell their Rose Blossoms to a central pick-up point
belonging to the distilleries. There are no rules on disposition of
Roses. The three largest private distilleries in Isparta buy X kilos of
Roses before the season begins - they pay a considerably lower price but
some farmers are willing to take advance payment even if its less than
they can get later from the Rose Growers Association (RGA). If a farmer
has been prepaid for his Roses, he will go to the collection point for
that distillery. The farmers have lived with the system for years and
in addition to prices being a driver, personalities and family loyalties
are important.
Photo 03: Butch in the Isparta Rose fields. The harvest
begins before sunrise and stops around 1100. The farmers then head for
a check-in station, get their harvest weighed and draw a chit for that
day's turn-in of Roses. The distilleries stop buying Roses at 1200. They
will distill all Roses turned in on that day - distillation continues
into the night.
This issue of not trespassing holds true for harvesting wild plants. Traditionally, and for many generations, certain villages have harvested certain public (actually government owned) lands. There is no way the occupants of village A would dare come onto that land traditionally harvested by village B and take the sage, rosemary, oregano, Vitex or whatever growing wild on that land .. it is not healthy to steal and justice in a Turkish village is generally far more swift than in a Turkish court. That's why the notion of folks harvesting their own wild-grown plants in this part of the world sounds strange to me.
Photo 04: A field of Rosa damascena in the early morning. It generally takes three years for a Rose plant to attain full maturity but Roses can be harvested prior to that time. A mature Rose field will yield 600-700 kilograms of Roses per hectare (2.471 acres), but there are few Rose fields that large - most are an acre or less. Fields that are side-dressed with manure can produce as much as 750 kilograms per hectare. Rose growing is not the main crop for these farmers - it is merely a cash crop to supplement their annual income.
Photo 05: The Damask Rose (Rosa damascena) is a hardy
"shrub" type Rose that can be grown from cuttings - and they will
produce their own root stock. If a Rose bush is doing poorly or dies -
it is replaced in December or January with cuttings from another Rose
bush. A typical cutting is 80 cm long and is planted 40 cm deep. When
cuttings are planted we can count on a 60%-65% chance of harvesting some
Roses the first season, and a 100% chance the second season.
Photo 06: Roses bagged and ready for transport to the check-in station. The fields are normally picked every other day as the Roses are continuously blooming during the harvest period. There is no way to know how many people are hired to gather the Roses because there are thousands of Rose fields spread out within a 40 or so mile radius of Isparta. The length of the harvest depends on the weather - more rain, longer season - between 6 and 8 weeks all told - this year (2001) was a good one and it lasted 8 weeks.
Photo 07: Harvesting the Rose Blossoms. The Roses are
pulled between the fingers so the entire blossom pops off into the hand;
nothing remains but the bare stem from which the Rose had grown. An
experienced picker can harvest as much as 60 kilograms between 0500 to
1100, however, the average worker will pick closer to 40 kilograms. The
pickers know how to avoid the tiny thorns and the many bees. For many
of the pickers, it is the ONLY cash they will earn in a year. A good
one can make $12-$15 in that 6 hours .. not bad wages for the city and
outstanding wages for the village. The pickers are housewives and
students on school break because the men are busy dealing with other
crops.
Photo 08: Bags of Rose blossoms are gently man-handled upon arrival at the RGA distillation facility. The RGA hires 80 to 100 people just to handle distillation during that period.
Photo 09: Bags of Roses are stacked beside each still.
Each of the bags weighs 20 to 22 kilograms. The workers stack 24 or 25
bags (500 kg) beside each still.
Photo 10: The strong but pleasant fragrance of the bagged Rose petals is much like the finished product. The distillation facility has a great odor prior to, during and following the Rose distillation process.
Photo 11: The RGA has five factories for production of
Rose Otto and one for Rose Concrete. They have 40 primary stills and
10 secondary stills - each still has a capacity of 2,000 kilograms.
Following the period of distillation, the factories are closed down
until the following year. The RGA stills are never used for
distillation of other aromatic products. Imagine the cost of
maintaining facilities that will only be used only 6-8 weeks in a year!
Photos 12 & 13 : Loading the stills. Each still is loaded with 1,500 kilograms of fresh spring water and 500 kilograms of Rose petals.
Photos 14 & 15 : These 48 year old copper stills are well seasoned and have never been
used for anything but distillation of Roses. Even in the winter months,
one can detect the odor of Roses in them.
Photos 16, 17 & 18: The stills are fired up and after approximately 1 hour, they are reopened. The spent Rose blossoms are dumped from the bottom of the still into a trough that flows to an outside catch pond. The still is then flushed with water and refilled with fresh spring water and Rose blossoms. After the Rose petals in the holding pond dry, they are used for fuel and/or fertilizer.
Click Here For Part II of Rosa Damascena - Anatolian Rose Production by Butch Owen
This page, the above dialogue and photographs are copyright.Copyright 1999-2001 - Business Services International and Appalachian Valley Natural Products - All Rights Reserved