In Memoriam: Robert Bontoux

Laure Moutet Manheimer recalls a story of hiking with Robert Bontoux in Arizona.
Laure Moutet Manheimer recalls a story of hiking with Robert Bontoux in Arizona.
courtesy of Laure Moutet Manheimer

Words from Bontoux

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Robert Bontoux on August 20, 2024. Robert left us at the age of 87, taken swiftly by an illness.

Robert had an early introduction to the industry at the age of 3 when he was already harvesting lavender in the mountains.

At 15, he formally joined the family business, founded by his grandfather in 1898.

In those early years, he trained at Laboratoires Noël in Grasse, where he developed his expertise and passion for the profession.

At the age of 23, he was the youngest elected mayor in France, showing a deep commitment to his community, which he also expressed in the 70’s by creating a group of producers with whom he continued the company's international expansion.

Then through the 80s, he restarted the family business transforming it into what Bontoux is today, passing the reins to his son Rémy in 2005.

Robert Bontoux was a passionate and inspiring entrepreneur, driven by boundless energy and a builder's spirit. Attached to local terroirs while being open to the world, he combined international aspirations with a concern for local territories.

His passion for people and the terroirs of Provence and beyond nourished his vision and projects.

We have lost an iconic figure of the Bontoux family business and an unforgettable presence that will remain in the hearts and memories of those who knew him.

His memory will live on,

Bontoux Company"

A Story from Laure Moutet Manheimer 

This story was shared by Laure Moutet Manheimer referencing the image above: "We had a customer in Scottsdale, Arizona. I asked Robert (I was 26 and he must have been 37) if he liked to hike. The poor soul said yes. On Saturday we left at 4 a.m. and drove to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We hiked all the way on the South Kainab trail to the Phantom Ranch. We slept in (separate) dormitories to go back up the next morning, one mile of elevation loss and gain, then took a shower on the south rim and flew out of Phoenix by the Red Eye on Sunday night to see our first customer on Monday morning. We could hardly walk, we had so much pain in our legs…it turned out he was NOT a hiker but he never complained. I think he never forgot it either!"



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