Viti Vinci was born in the capital of England four years ago, but as fate would have it, it landed in the largest of the Balearic Islands. The initial idea was to create fragrances to wrap, in a singular way, spaces, 'just as a musician influences the emotions in an event, we wanted to do it with aromas' says Víctor Alarcón. However, the project has been transforming continuously. Now, in Estudi General street, supported by La Seu and Palau March, it explores formulas that we can wear while making us vibrate.
We were inspired by the local nature, the landscape and the plants. And we grew and found this wonderful space in the center of Palma'. A space that keeps the traces of its architectural past, on the walls and on the floor. Right at the entrance, after descending a few steps, is the heart of Viti Vinci, which is the chemistry laboratory, where the nose of the perfumery is at work, the person who is in charge of translating concepts into fragrances.
The pandemic was shaping the purpose, because while most of us stayed at home, isolated, in the countryside it was possible to work, so Viti Vinci became what it is today, 'an atelier for the creation of fine fragrances with 100% natural products and linked to a regenerative agriculture project' that awakens emotions and connects us, through smell, with what we feel.
Alarcón entered the world of perfumery, precisely, fascinated by the power of aromas, seeing that 'with natural aromas and plant extracts you can evoke very specific emotions, and there are numerous studies that show that aromatic diffusion even favors brain regeneration'.
"When we work on a scent or a tasting, we see how, without a doubt, there is an improvement in people's state of mind".
With an irrefutable scientific basis, while we chat, we work tirelessly in the atelier under a beautiful natural light that floods the space. 'When we work on a scent or a tasting, we see how, without a doubt, there is an improvement in people's mood,' says Alarcón, who captains the brand and professes an irreducible passion for his work, which begins in the soil, in the cultivation and harvesting, goes through distillation - the process that extracts the essential oil from the plant - and ends in the formulation, an imaginative but laborious technique, carried out by the team's perfumers.
The whole process has an eye on sustainability in all its forms, as Viti Vinci practices regenerative agriculture, which helps balance the life of the soil on their own farm, which they planted four years ago and is now beginning to be harvestable, and on allied lands, with which they collaborate, such as SONMO and Treuer, although their dream is 'to have a production that is entirely their own'. This conscious and respectful look is transferred to the packaging, circular and reusable.
The development of the fragrances involves, phase by phase, a team of six people - including a perfumer and the agricultural, development and administration team - and from it comes their own collection of perfumes, a small collection of natural cosmetics and a collection of essential oils.
It is here, in the laboratory where we chat, that the essence is worked on and formulated. No one remains indifferent when smelling the result, already bottled in precious bottles, because, just like a taste or a landscape, each scent is capable of calming or stimulating us, of anchoring us to the moment or making us fly. With delicacy and with its own character. And if someone finds it difficult to connect their olfactory sense, don't panic, because it can be fine-tuned.
"The Viti Vinci customer is a consumer with a curious nose, interested in niche, creative and signature perfumery, and who attaches importance to sustainability and commitment to the planet".
'On the one hand there is sensitivity and talent, what a person with a more sensitive nose than another can do,' Alarcón explains, 'but then there is the training on it, which is a very important part. And that depends a lot on the culture to which we belong'. In fact, for a lover of natural aromas like him, we should train this sense from childhood, 'just as you send your children to study music, mathematics or language. It would be interesting to teach them to smell, which sounds simple but has many nuances.’
These nuances are those perceived and valued by those who come to Viti Vinci's atelier, a consumer 'with a curious nose, interested in niche, creative and signature perfumery, and who gives importance to sustainability and commitment to the planet', mostly foreign - its location, in the heart of Palma's old town, surely contributes to this - but also local, especially at craft fairs.
Viti Vinci explores, through aromachology - which studies the connection between perfumes and psychology - the reactions that trigger feelings, create moods and even unlock memories. A not inconsiderable work that fills with pride team that celebrates each launch or the creation of a customized product for a client from Mallorca, but that already has its eyes set on the peninsula. Slowly and carefully, of course. With the times that nature inspires. In the end, 'organic growth is healthy growth', says Alarcón.
