Xeryus

This lovely flower is the African Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens). It grows wild in Southern Africa, but over recent years a few enterprising farmers have started cultivating it - not for its flowers but for the sweet-smelling and valuable "essential" oil contained, in tiny quantities, in its petals, leaves and stems.

It has a close cousin, Pelargonium Sidoides, known in the Zulu language as Umckaloabo. The Zulus have long known that the Sidoides root steeped in hot water creates an infusion which alleviates cold and cough symptoms. Now, Sidoides is also cultivated and its extracts added to herbal and pharmaceutical preparations manufactured and marketed around the world as cold cures. Indeed, one popular brand in the USA is called Umcka, directly from the Zulu word.

From time to time, I am invited to attend agriculture-related conferences. One of the more memorable of these was the 2007 East African Fine Coffee Association annual event in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia has the oldest coffee-drinking culture in the world. Legend has it that a nameless Amhara farmer found his goats eating the berries of a burnt coffee tree and, on trying them, discovered their bitter, smoky and delicious properties...... and the global love affair with coffee took root.

In between sampling excellent Rwandese, Kenyan and Ethiopian coffee, EAFCA conference participants pondered the future of African coffee. A common theme at events like these is the question of how African farmers can increase their share of the value ultimately realised from their products. Discussions usually start with a statement like "at Starbucks in London, Grade A Ethiopian coffee retails at a price of US $10 per pound. The farmer only receives $1 per pound. We need to add value to African production and capture more of the value...." It's hard to argue against this, of course, but the experts present rarely talk about the massive investment in brand development, marketing and distribution that Starbucks - and others - have made which enables them to achieve these premiums. Recently a new retail brand, Good African Coffee, has been launched in Uganda to provide some regional competition to the Java and Dormans coffee shop brands in Kenya. Perhaps one day, one of these will become an African superbrand and go global...... but the challenge is immense.

A few years ago, I was given a bottle of Xeryus Rouge aftershave. It has an interesting and complex (but for me an oversweet) scent. According to the internet, its ingredients include an exciting and eclectic selections of essential oils and plant extracts: tarragon, kumquat, cactus flesh, cedar, sandalwood, red pepper and, intriguingly, African geranium. Droplets of precious African Geranium oil, blended with other essential oils and solvents, packaged in elegantly shaped bottles, labelled and encased with handsome materials, all part of expert Givenchy branding, and its tiny interface with labourers in southern Africa.

From the African Geranium to Umcka and Xeryus Rouge, globalisation at work.