Mereville
Food for the gods
 Incense
has been considered a 'food for the gods' since its invention. In India
there is no religious ceremony or similar consecrated activity undertaken without the
use of it. Daily poojas, prayers, marriages, burials and funerals,
mediations and business ceremonies are all accompanied by the fragrance,
and not a single day passes without the lighting of some incense sticks.
During the boom resulting from the 'discovery' of India by the West in the sixties and the 'hippy era' in the
seventies, incense became a well appreciated ingredient of life in the west,
too, and led to countless production workshops and factories being
established all around the world.
We asked Franco, the founder of incense producing Mèreville Trust, why
he started one more in Auroville.
Ethnic textiles and
related cultures
"Business activity in Italy gave me the opportunity to analyse the
market in the field of ethnic textiles and subsequently in the context of
related cultures. Incense was part of it and I realised that there was a
need for good quality products particularly by those who are, like
me, concerned with a more holistic vision of life," says Franco.
"I also discovered that some of the major manufacturing companies
of incense only offer exclusive contracts, thereby leaving a space in
the market for new brands from other suppliers. By starting this new
venture with incense I seem to have satisfied those particular
demands."
From ethnic-style
garments to incense
Born in Italy, Franco came to Auroville for the first time in 1978 and
felt immediately a very strong connection with it. In the beginning he
spent most of the time with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry as
the central point for his research. He became a newcomer in Auroville in
1983 as a result of the Ashram experience, leaving his
Italian company which had been dealing with ethnic-style
garments manufactured in Nepal, Bhutan and south America, and
distributed in Italy, behind. The company was also dealing with handicrafts and
incense received at that time from some of the Auroville units. When
Franco finally settled in Auroville, he initially joined Aurosarjan
where he was looking after the production of garments for several
Italian buyers, but he then decided to start a unit handling the
packing of incense. The next step was to set up of a manufacturing unit
in order to have full control of the process in its entirety.
Natural powders and
pure essential oils
Having studied pharmacy, with a background as an agronomist (herbs) and
his previously acquired business experience, Franco felt ready to start
his own commercial unit in 1994. "Originally I was more concerned
with the quality than the quantity, so I studied Ayurveda and
aromatherapy and learned the ancient process of manufacturing incense. A major part of the Mèreville range is made of wholly natural
powders from flora and pure essential oil blends, while a few more commercial lines
have been maintained at the level of 85% natural, with
15% of non-toxic synthetic blended fragrances. As a result of constant
research and development efforts this last percentage is slated to be
reduced to a negligible 5% in the near future. The majority of our
products are 100% natural", says Franco - like the new Zen series,
beautifully and simply packed in naturally crafted recycled paper envelopes,
made with selected aromatic herbs, resins and wood barks in their pure
state in the scents of Myrrh, Camphor, Sambrani, Jatamansi, Juniper,
Frankincense and Sandalwood.
Day-to-day learning
process
"Apart from the holistic concept, Mèreville wants to express a kind
of perfection, which is to be considered progressive. Our work, in the
context
of Auroville, is an expression of self discipline; the product is just
the final step..," says Franco. His philosophy centres around
self-dedication, steadiness, cleanliness and
harmony. "Mèreville Trust activity has not only a profit
orientation but includes several other aspects. All of our products are supported by information in order to divulge
the culture behind them, so that they are not merely consumer fashion
products, but vehicles
of knowledge and interest too. The day-to-day learning process makes
this activity interesting. You deal with people and you share experiences
with them. The work is a great opportunity to express something
harmonious and creative. Without these peculiar aspects I wouldn't do
it," he adds.
Musician
Part of the profits is donated to specific Auroville projects. Currently
Mèreville Trust supports the idea of a music studio, as Franco is a musician
himself. In his rare free time you can see and hear him playing the bass
guitar with some fellow Aurovilians at jazz concerts in the Visitors Centre.
But his heart beats not only for art. The company employs mainly women
from the villages as a way of empowering them and improving their life
conditions as well as that of their children. Mèreville Trust is also
planning to support various development programmes in the villages.
In that way, the circle closes again. Incense that is produced by the
women is used by them again for their daily prayers at home. And the gods
are nourished with the wonderful fragrance of rose and jasmin and a great
variety of other scents.
Mèreville Trust
Auroshilpam, Auroville 605 101
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