Capital of the Rose
La Colle-sur-Loup has a rich horticultural past! During the 20th century, the village experienced significant growth thanks to the cultivation of flowers, especially roses. The village even went so far as to become the main producer of fragrant flowers for the famous Grasse perfumeries, with whom it developed close relations, earning it the name of “Capital of the Rose”!
Among the flowers grown at La Colle: roses (centifolia, tea, tango), bigaradier (orange blossom), violets, peppermint and myrtle.
L’Espace Rose de Mai, in rue Clémenceau, is the former growers’ agricultural cooperative, founded in 1908 to enable small growers to better sell their crops. The space is used to store flowers for weighing, sorting, distillation or shipment to Grasse perfumeries. Over the years, it has become an economic and financial force that has united the village community to support flower production in La Colle-sur-Loup. The cooperative operated until 1995, when it was dissolved and liquidated. Today, the site is used as a multi-purpose hall for exhibitions, theater and meetings.
Every year in May, we celebrate the memory of the rose at La Colle, with the “Autour de la Rose” festival!
The Cooperative
of Flowers
for Perfume
Interested in La Colle-sur-Loup’s past?
If you’re curious about the history of La Colle-sur-Loup, don’t miss our weekly Facebook feature! Every Sunday, Le Saviez-vous? takes you back into the commune’s past with unusual anecdotes, archive photos and little-known stories. It’s the perfect opportunity to rediscover La Colle in a different way, through the heritage, traditions and local stories that make up the richness of our village.
Once the Rose Capital, La Colle-sur-Loup continues to bring out the most precious of flowers: their power to soften hearts.
