The cosmetic brand Caudalie was founded in 1995 by Mathilde Thomas, the eldest daughter of Florence & Daniel Cathiard, the owners of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux.
Mathilde and her husband have always been conscious of the environmental issues. They are fully engaged into sustainable development and for the right and protection of the environment. They are fighting for the preservation of the planet, against the deforestation, and most recently, to enhance the biodiversity in the Bordeaux area.
Caudalie is a member of the association “1% for the Planet” and hence donates 1% of its worldwide income to associations fighting for the environment.
Since 2012, up to 4,8 million trees were planted worldwide thanks to Caudalie, which keeps launching new partnerships with reforestation projects.
2020 goal is to reach 5,5 million trees.
In the Yunnan province in China, the cosmetic company is engaged in a partnership with the WWF to restore some 2000 ha of a vast forest ecosystem, allowing the planting of 1,5 million trees by 2020. Besides, every year, 300 000 local trees are replanted in Mexico.
However, it is back at the roots of Caudalie, in the heart of the Gironde, that the brand started to develop its last project. In 2016 the company sided with the association “Arbres et Paysages” (Trees & Landscape) in order to plant natural and diversified hedgerows.
Those mixed hedges, mainly composed of natural essences (Hawthorn, Holm oak, Field maple, etc…) are meant to be planted around plots of vines of some local family owned estates.
In one year, they planted no less than 5000 small trees, bushes and shrubs in 8 wine
estates scattered around all the Bordeaux area. It enhance biodiversity and balance the
biological activity and has a positive impact on soils and water quality. Moreover, it also
provide anti-erosion and windbreaks ability.
As for Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Florence & Daniel have brought up for a long time special cares to the treatment of the vines and the terroir. They integrated biodynamic everywhere in the vineyard, by planting mixed hedges allowing natural parasites fighters (insects) to come back, with the establishment of hives and orchard.
Most of the tractor works has been replaced by horses & the estate preserves 7 ha of
forest within the AOC zone.
The last agricultural evolution in Smith Haut Lafitte comes from the phytotherapy (herbal
medicines of the vines), strengthening the vines and preventing from diseases using
natural herbs.
The winery focuses on organic methods, developing sustainable recycling (transforming the Co2 rejected over the wine fermentation into sodium bicarbonate) and circular economy in order to protect the environment and the terroir.
