Caldey Abbey Perfumes

Caldey Abbey Perfumes originates from the tranquil island of Caldey in southwest Wales, which is home to a Cistercian monastery. The serene island, predominantly visited by tourists, is where this fragrance brand finds its roots. In the 1950s, the monks at Caldey Abbey began selling lavender bouquets to day-trippers, sparking an innovative idea to harness the island's natural resources for creating unique fragrances. Initially crafted with lavender and other local plants, these homemade scents garnered acclaim from visitors, prompting the monks to enhance their production methods. A modern distillation facility was established, enabling collaboration between skilled perfumers and the monks to develop a range of exquisite fragrances marketed under the brand name "Caldey Abbey Perfumes." While originally sourcing all fragrance essences locally, the island's limited resources led to the transition to importing raw materials. Nevertheless, the distillation process remained on the island. With the intensifying competition in the perfume industry during the 1970s, Caldey Abbey Perfumes faced challenges in securing raw ingredients, ultimately transitioning to procuring pre-distilled materials for its production. Today, Caldey Abbey Perfumes partners with a leading British perfumer who revives traditional scents and crafts new fragrances for the brand. Blending and bottling operations continue on Caldey Island, maintaining a connection to its origins. Apart from perfumes, eau de colognes, and aftershaves, the company also produces bath essentials, hand lotions, soaps, and dried lavender bouquets reminiscent of its earlier offerings in the 1950s.