Jardin des Monts, the alpine herb garden

It was whilst walking the aisles of the last MEDNAT fair in Lausanne that I stumbled upon Jardin des Monts. I was immediately attracted to the pretty packaging of their skin care products, black and white and inspired by the traditional Swiss art of silhouette paper cutting.

Besides traditional care products such as soaps, balms or body oils, Jardin des Monts also produce syrups and herbal teas from natural Swiss herbs produced by traditional organic farming methods. It is high in the mountains of Pays-d’Enhaut, at 1350 meters altitude that the passionate team of Jardin des Monts work their magic, since 2009, cultivating about thirty different plants for their products.

But their story starts much earlier: in 2004, when the entrepreneur Pierre Landolt bought a forgotten mountain pasture. Fascinated by nature, he decided to launch pilot projects to find a solution to the abandonment of this special alp. So he teamed up with three youngsters, Charlotte Landolt, Laetitia Jacot and Jean-Philippe Blum and they set to work.

At Jardin des Monts, harvesting is done by hand. Wild plants such as elderberry and basswood are also harvested following a charter that respects their preservation. Here, one promotes the biodynamic treatment and respect for the plants’ natural habitat. The gardens host insects, chickens and even snakes. The whole farm is labelled with “The Bud”.

The alpine gardens are also home to a very special herd of mountain goats, grazing freely to help fight against the uncontrolled growth of the alpine meadow. Thanks to his flock, Jean Philippe Blum, also produces a cheese called Tchivra, made with fresh goats milk and he also cares for three Hinterwald cows, a protected breed.

You can find Jardin des Monts online or on Facebook.

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