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Oud and the French Connection

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Sought after considering that the dawn of time; revered in Middle Eastern and Asian cultures; Oud has quickly end up being the active ingredient of option on the planet’s special scents.

Magical, enigmatic, and essential, Oud is drawn out from the extremely valued and quick vanishing Agarwood tree that is belonging to Southeast Asia and its environments. It has a remarkable history and intricacy, and is now to be discovered in the shops and high-end branded shops whose names are redolent of Parisian Haute Couture and French finery.

Disciples of Oud are legion– especially amongst the coterie of the world’s Master Perfumers who value its remarkable qualities and the depth it provides to a scent. To that group of cognoscenti, we can now include, rather all of a sudden, the Private Banker, Wealth Manager and Family Office.

The brand-new brand of fans is not always drawn to Oud for its nearly legendary health-giving, wellness or perhaps aphrodisiacal qualities occasionally represented in tv projects or in shiny periodicals together with the current fragrance du jour. Nor possibly for its superb scent and richness of olfactory structure. Exactly what’s promoting interest are difficult money, and the nourishing of ecological and sustainable consciences.

Considering that 2000, the trees from which Oud is gotten has actually been put on the CITES threatened types list, and their harvesting in the wild has actually been made prohibited. Need is pressing, and growing, and has actually added to the trees in the wild being gathered to near termination due to their value in Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures, along with a myriad of other usages in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and scent markets and beyond.

Stocks remain in brief supply, while need is enhancing, and that just 7 in every 100 trees produce Oud, which even those 7 can just produce a small quantity of the wonderful oil, has actually caused an unmatched denudation. It has actually likewise produced a special financial investment and sustainable company chance.

The option would seem a simple one to get to; plant more trees, await a couple of years, and get rich.

In fact, growing the trees and growing them is fairly simple. The secret lies in having the exclusive innovation, experience, knowledge and production systems through to final result distribution to turn an easy tree from a near useless softwood, into an oil that is valued at approximately US$ 50,000 per kilogramme.

In this circumstances, it is a carefully concealed (of substantial value) and Asia Plantation Capital (APC) is among the few business who, over the last 10 years, have actually accomplished the apparently unlikely. Lots of business assert to have actually made the most recent and biggest clinical developments, however just APC and a handful of smaller sized business and growers – numerous of whom work solely with the APC Group– have actually regularly produced outcomes that confirm their claims.

Backed up by all the pertinent accreditation and approvals, along with the necessary distribution network, Asia Plantation Capital has an exclusive ‘Soil to Oil to You’ company design that includes vertical combination in the whole supply chain, from seed proliferation, all the method through to informed customers purchasing retail items.

The Asia Plantation Capital Group has actually just recently been engaging with European and Middle Eastern based financial investment supervisors, funds, household workplaces and personal lenders to inform its distinct story.

Eyebrows were raised, interests stimulated, and interest signed up, with numerous groups seizing the day to visit the business’ plantations, factories and retail outlets in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, to see on their own exactly what all the buzz had to do with.

It was a buzz developed by the business and its jobs being bestowed with the “Best Forestry Asset Management Award 2014” by CFI Magazine, and being shortlisted as a finalist in the “World Sustainable Business Awards”, kept in Paris by Organic Monitor. And possibly it had something to do with more awards being amassed by fragrances produced by Fragrance Du Bois– among APC’s associated business, to which it provides the remarkable, 100 % ensured natural, natural Oud oil.

“Having seen our possessions under management grow to US$ 600 million at the end of 2013,” stated Gary Crates – CEO Europe, “from financiers in the understand and our own investors in the Group’s plantation tasks in their nations, we discovered enhancing interest from institutional financiers, pension funds and household workplaces from more afield.”.

The huge distinction is that 95 % of our typical visitors are Asian, who comprehend first-hand the chances in the plantation sector. Seeing European Asset Managers and some from the Middle East was a brand-new experience for us, and plainly an outcome of the tough work our groups throughout Asia have actually contributed to the business’s and plantations’ hidden success and development.”.

“Mister Vincent de Meaux, from Athos Patrimoine stated, “I need to state I have actually been taking a look at numerous chances in the plantation sector, and performing due diligence on behalf of customers for a variety of years on tasks and business. Prior to my visit, I was open minded, however maybe a little doubtful. The big scale of operations and professional management and systems Asia Plantation Capital have actually established and put in location, total up to among the most remarkable total plantation company designs I have actually seen.”.

He went on, “Add to that their back-end processing and distribution through their own business’s retail outlets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, produces a real, vertically incorporated and distinct sustainable company chance. It likewise resembles among the very best strategic hedge methods I have actually seen recently. It’s not a surprise this business has actually currently attained a lot,” he concluded, “and the included reward for today’s world is that it is 100 % sustainable; the business even has ISO status for its carbon footprint.”.

Fragrance Industry Expert Simon French stated, “Having invested more years than I care to discuss at director level in a few of the world’s biggest scent and flavourings business, I can truthfully state that no component has actually recorded the marketplace or certainly had such need as pure Oud. While lots of important oils have actually been effectively developed in artificial kind, and numerous business have actually produced artificial Oud-style active ingredients, the animalic nature of natural and pure Oud in fragrance is amazing and apparent. Any perfumer or Nose will certainly verify; pure Oud is unmatchable and distinct in its capability to sustain, reinforce and lengthen the great scent experience.”.

The Group has actually opened, and is opening more luxury flagship shops in a few of the world’s most renowned places, to display its expert fragrance brand, Fragrance Du Bois. Strategies are afoot to partner numerous of the world’s leading scent homes to develop an international chain of specific niche retail outlets providing the most special choice of great scents and bespoke developments for a critical clients. This will certainly make up an option from the supreme collection of 100 % natural Oud scents developed by an elite group of global perfumers.

With the scent market being just one of the numerous office applications for Oud and the Agarwood tree, business case is strong, sustainable, and nigh on alluring.

Pure Oud. Pure high-end. Born in nature and crafted in France, a genuinely French Connection for the existing age.

Fragrance Du Bois Brings Xerjoff to Asia

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“We are delighted to be in Singapore to display our finest and special fragrances under Fragrance Du Bois,” stated Sergio Momo, Xerjoff’s Founder and Creative Director. “I think Fragrance Du Bois shares essential concepts with Xerjoff in the universe of creative perfumery.

“It brings us excellent satisfaction to be the very first (and just) scent home in Southeast Asia, to host and partner with the world well-known Xerjoff,” stated Nicola Parker, Brand Director of Fragrance Du Bois. Xerjoff will certainly be readily available in all our flagship stores, outlets and scent lounges around the word in the coming weeks. This collaboration with Xerjoff,” Parker concluded, “will certainly even more improve that experience.

At the heart of the Xerjoff brand and all of its productions, is a mix of standard perfumery (going back centuries), and modern-day, handmade bottles. Sergio Momo’s motivation is stemmed from his Italian roots, and his commitment to a time-honoured craft has actually resulted in the formula of a few of the most initial and unforgettable scents presently on the marketplace. Momo’s compassion and understanding of the natural world has actually likewise played a part in the total visual, with a mix of semi-precious and valuable hand cut stones, quartz, Murano glass, wood, brass, bronze, leather and gold, taking functions in the succession of work of arts.

Likewise providing some weight to the valuable and unusual artworks that catch these extraordinary scents, are the lots of years of research study and advancement in the art of perfumery, along with the partnerships with prominent Italian artists. International and Italian ‘Noses’, carvers and painters – in addition to jewellery designers, glassblowers, diamond cutters and wood engravers – collaborate to distil, mix and package the valuable essences developed in Grasse (South of France), Spain and Italy.

Xerjoff’s collection – redolent of history and custom, and motivated by aspects and occasions as varied as Siberian meteorite showers and the ancient Arabian art of perfumery — makes certain to consist of a fragrance that will certainly delight and promote the senses of even the most seasoned scent fanatic..
Working along parallel lines with Fragrance Du Bois, Xerjoff has actually committed 2 outstanding collections to the enigmatic and magical Oud oil – both provided in perfectly crafted crystal bottles. Sourced from Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, India and Cambodia, the Oud-inspired productions are catching the creativities of scent lovers worldwide.

An option of Xerjoff’s high-end scents will certainly be readily available at the Fragrance Du Bois flagship store in Singapore from today. They will certainly likewise be offered in Du Bois’ 2nd flagship shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, within a matter of weeks.
Xerjoff in Southeast Asia is solely given you by Fragrance Du Bois, and rates begin with SGD 225.

Asia Plantation Capital Builds South East Asia’s Largest Agarwood Processing Factory in Malaysia

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Asia Plantation Capital is happy to reveal the opening of its brand-new, purpose-built Agarwood (gaharu) factory and research study centre, situated in Johor, Malaysia.

A simple 20 minutes drive from the Causeway connect to Singapore, the town of Seri Alam is now host to the cutting-edge center that integrates an Oud oil distillery, a wood chip processing centre, and a scent stick factory. Likewise located within the complex is a visitor centre, in addition to a wholesale factory store equipped with the ever-growing variety of Agarwood items produced by Asia Plantation Capital (APC).

Access to the business’s plantations in Thailand, India and Myanmar were essential aspects, as well as the business’s continuous factory growth in Shenzhen, China. Prepared Oud factories opening in the Middle East situated in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are being established by the business over the next 18 months.

The center is likewise tactically and easily situated in close distance to Singapore– a nation presently ranked as one of Asia’s greatest Agarwood import and export centres– with more than US$ 1.2 billion in approximated trade per year (according to main reports). This provides APC with a leading one-upmanship in regards to its access to a considerable market on its really ‘doorstep.’ This is an additional essential element of the planning and area of all the groups factories with China, Northern Asia and the Middle East in between them making up a considerable bulk of present world sell Agarwood items.

The factory has actually been geared up with the most recent heat exchange steam purification systems utilizing cleansed water, and a clean energy solar energy system is being set up to make sure optimal financial effectiveness. Sustainable, eco-friendly energy systems are used throughout.

As part of a forward supply arrangement with China’s biggest merchant of scent sticks, a 300 tonne per year assembly line is likewise being set up, and this will certainly broaden in due course to 600 tonnes per year, to include the business’s other areas. The center likewise houses a lab for fragrances and important oils, APC inoculation systems production, and MSDS analysis systems.

“We are extremely delighted to lastly have the ability to take the covers off our cutting-edge Agarwood factory,” stated Steve Watts, CEO of Asia Plantation Capital Berhad, in Kuala Lumpur. “We have actually invested a number of years evaluating the very best all round strategic place, and are happy to reveal this growth in Malaysia. It’s an outcome of the nation’s steady company environment and forward believing forestry and plantation departments at governmental level, that have actually led us to pick Malaysia and Johor for this strategic factory development.”.

This is part of an Asia-wide strategic factory and production growth, with a purification factory joint endeavor in China with Hua Lin Group– China’s biggest maker of Agarwood items – as well as strategic development in Thailand into wood chip production and incense production and prepared factories in the Middle East. These systems are not just being made use of by the group to expand our market share, however is likewise being provided to smaller sized growers and farmers throughout Asia, to help them in the growing and end processing of Agarwood into an important earnings. As providing systems and understanding, we are providing repaired ‘purchase backs’ on items made solely from our systems.

Watts went on to state, “The Agarwood plantation market, as we understand, is big and is continuing to grow quickly. The customer market is growing and developing at a quick rate, and customers are looking for items of regularly high quality with all the appropriate seals of credibility, sustainability and purity.

Watts concluded, “Our items now come solely with their own individual accreditations– consisting of those from CITES– together with EU Product Approvals, Product Safety Data Sheets, IFRA, Certificate of Origin, FDA approval, MSDS analyses, and Shariah Compliant status. Our items, in certain our oils and wood chips, are likewise separately graded by specialists in the field at Thailand’s Prince of Songkla University. By tactically running and having cutting-edge, eco-friendly mega factories, sustained by our own plantations and other smaller sized growers, we are now able to provide completion items that the marketplace in fact requires, in regards to consistency, cost and quality.”.

The factory is open and functional for company, with brand-new assembly line being commissioned in the coming months. The visitor centre will certainly be opening in April 2015, in addition to a wholesale factory store and Agarwood item display screen library.

Asia Plantation Capital Berhad revealed the achievement of Shariah compliance approval for its items by the IBFIM,

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Asia Plantation Capital Berhad revealed the achievement of Shariah compliance approval for its items by the IBFIM, previously called the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia, the advisory body for Shariah compliance on all matters concerning Islamic banking in Malaysia.

Globally recognized in the Islamic world as a leader in this field, IBFIM is signed up and licensed by the Securities Commission of Malaysia to offer Shariah regulative structures and recommendations, and its regulative board is made up from a few of the leading banks in Malaysia. IBFIM’s approval therefore clears the way for Asia Plantation Capital’s products to be marketed and offered in Malaysia and the worldwide markets as Islamic items that satisfies all requirements as set out under the laws of Islam.

“As part of Asia Plantation Capital’s objective to regard regional culture and integrate into the marketplaces we are operating in, acquiring this approval for Shariah compliance of our items has been extremely important for us,” stated Mr. Steve Watts, CEO, Asia Plantation Capital, and Malaysia. “This gives our customers right here in Malaysia and from around the Islamic world, confidence that they are not only buying a sound product, however the assurance that it is socially accountable and fully in accordance with their beliefs. With increasingly more people in this area and the Middle East planning to alternative and sustainable investments that they can rely on and be involved in, this is a strong statement of Asia Plantation Capital’s intent to satisfy their needs and our commitment to being socially responsible in every market,” continued Mr. Watts.

Asia Plantation Capital’s continued strong development in Malaysia has likewise seen the appointment of Dr. Kodi Isparan Kandasamy, Senior Vice President (AgBiotech), Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation as a Non-Executive Board Director of Asia Plantation Capital Berhad. Simultaneous with this visit, Dr. Kodi has likewise been designated to Asia Plantation Capital’s Worldwide Scientific Advisory Board.

Appointed to the Global Scientific Advisory Board is Partner Professor Yumi Zuhanis Has-Yun Hashim, FIBMS, and International Islamic University Malaysia. Asia Plantation Capital has actually signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the university to aid in the Professor’s studies into the use of Agarwood, Oud Oil and specifically in the areas of cancer research which are currently showing extremely successful.

“These consultations into our Board-of-Directors and Global Scientific Board of advisers shows our continued belief that Malaysia is and will continue to be a crucial market for our company. These specialists in their particular fields will certainly contribute immensely to our company, research and ability to operate successfully in Malaysia. I am quite anticipating working carefully with them to achieve more for our clients in Malaysia and all over the world,” added Mr. Watts.

Asia Plantation Capital are hosting a series of events starting on the 21st February at The Address Hotel at the Dubai Shopping center to explain their sustainable Oudh plantations’ and showcase their Oud Oil and products. The Address Hotel is also the area where their retail partner Fragrance Du Bois likewise have a concession in the Casal & Co boutique.

Asia Plantation Capital: The Way Ahead for Investments in Today’s Market

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Asia Plantation Capital has actually been altering the face of alternative financial investments for both retail and institutional financiers, by offering handled forestry, farming, and plantation services for more than a years. After the monetary crisis of 2008 and the existing fall in oil costs, financiers are looking progressively into alternative funds that are steady, but supply high returns.

Forestry financial investments have actually just recently seen an uptick in interest from pension funds, personal equity financial investments, insurance coverage business and retail financiers, due to the long term horizons which in fact assist weather recessions much better than short-term financial investments. Compared with equities, bonds and realty, returns in forestry class possessions are affected by a totally various set of market and financial aspects. As such, it makes this possession class a perfect alternative financial investment for financiers aiming to diversify their profiles in order to secure themselves from market variations.

“Market news and aspects can trigger stock costs to drop,” stated Mr. John Berry – Business Development Director, Asia Plantation Capital – at the current Global Investment Expert Asia 2015 online forum. “But it can not stop a tree from growing. Forestry as a property acts as an extremely strong hedge versus other financial investments as provened by its history of impressive efficiency.”.
Mr Berry continued, “Cash circulation attributes of forestry financial investments are quite just like those of set earnings bonds that financiers need to purchase for a minimum duration prior to the financial investment grows. In this case, when the trees grow, they are all set for harvest. With excellent constant returns,” Mr Berry concluded, “forestry properties’ enhanced risk/reward qualities cause a more reliable, diversified profile.”.

Taking this view into account, sustainable forestry will certainly continue to be a strong and appealing carrying out financial investment chance for years to come.

About Asia Plantation Capital.
Quick truths:.
– US$ 600 million – incorporated value of possessions had and under management.
– US$ 53.5 million – turnover in the last fiscal year.
– US$ 100 million – turnover forecast for present fiscal year.
– 2,000,000 – Aquilaria trees today, on Agarwood plantations.

Asia Plantation Capital (APC) is the owner and operator of a varied variety of industrial plantation and farming companies throughout the Asia-Pacific area and around the world, and is part of the Asia Plantation Capital Group of associated business. Developed formally in 2008 (although running independently given that 2002) the group now has plantation and farming tasks on 4 continents, with functional jobs at numerous phases in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Laos, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, North America and Europe.

Promoting using qualified and sustainable wood is the very best method of avoiding logging, securing biodiversity, and battling poverty in the tropical jungle areas. For the yacht sector (a significant user of teak) which pursues quality and which is currently associated with ecological efforts, this is likewise a method of guaranteeing that no wood from unlawful logging is utilized.