Twenty years after its first formulations in a garage and ten years after its first store in Digne (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), Nicolosi Créations, founded by Philip Nicolosi and managed today by his daughter Célia, inaugurated on June 14 a factory for the design, production and packaging of room fragrances and cosmetics in the Technoparc des Grandes Terres in Manosque (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).
The site also houses the facilities of Laboratoire Astélia, co-founded in 2019 and co-directed by Célia Nicolosi and Stéphanie Venier Dargent (with three other shareholders), to develop and market a mosquito repellent under the Body Guard brand.
The tool with an area of 1000 m² on 2800 m² of land represents an investment of 2 million euros, this small artisanal family group being supported by Bpifrance and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in its innovations and developments. .
“Despite an extension of 200 m² in Manosque, our laboratory in Aiglun (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), created in 2008 on 500 m², was no longer sufficient to absorb our prospects for expansion in the various activities. This new location allows us to reinternalize logistical functions and to be energetically and ecologically exemplary. The photovoltaic equipment on the roof will allow us to produce three times more than we consume, since our process does not involve heating. We have also integrated rainwater recovery tanks to supply the toilets and water the green spaces and we take care to limit the number of packaging.”
Multiply production capacity by 6
The company, which exports to 12 countries, mainly in Europe and Africa, recently expanded to the American market. With Body Guard, which has the particularity of combining protection and various perfumes and distributed in more than 3,000 pharmacies in eight countries, it won a contract to supply the French army. By the end of 2024, new machines will join the production workshop to increase the automation of the processing of raw materials (maceration, brewing, filtration, etc.). “This equipment was designed for our own needs. At a minimum, we will increase production capacity by 6, the objective is to go towards 10» specifies Stéphanie Venier Dargent.
In 2023, 400,000 liters of products made in France will leave the facilities. In packaging, operations are carried out on an automated line and another manual line. “We have also provided space to increase the capacity» she adds. With this tool, Nicolosi Créations and Astélia plan to double turnover from 3 million euros to 6 million euros from 2025 for a current workforce of 15 employees which should increase by another four to five people. here at the end of 2025.
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