Indonesia Spotlight: The Potential of Clove
Unlike patchouli, which I previously wrote about in the following articles..
...clove trees are outstandingly low maintenance, not prone to many diseases, and can be found all around the hills of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is a very resourceful and abundant crop for farmers as all green parts of the tree can be distilled for use in perfumery: the leaves, the buds, and the stems. Clove is proving a surprisingly valuable asset for producers in the Sulawesi region as, up until recently, many clove plantations would only harvest the buds for use in the kretek cigarette and spice trades; the supplementary income from the leaves is consistent throughout the year and can provide a new salary stream for cultivators. To learn more, I visited a Van Aroma partner clove forest in the Sulawesi mountains.