Unraveling the Journey: How We Got Here - Our Full Story from truffles to skincare
- Bianca
- Mar 24
- 4 min read
The French dream. Such a romantic idea that we, like many others, have always been drawn to: a small stone-built farm; a few outbuildings, land and space to breathe; somewhere to grow vegetables and fruits, maybe a few vines; perhaps rear a few animals; a place the children can play outside all day long, climbing trees and building shelters in the woods.
At 35 years old, we had just started a family and we wanted to give our children a really special upbringing. So we took the plunge and bought our first home. A run down 16th Century Périgordian farmhouse with some beautiful outbuildings, 10 hectares of land and the most beautiful views we could have ever dreamed of.
Some said we were brave, others said we were mad. Only time will tell who was right! We just fell in LOVE with the place; the house, the local village, the valleys, the flora and fauna, the history and, of course, the architecture. Of course, having given up both of our jobs we knew we were going to have to get creative in order to make ends meet.
Fortunately, shortly after moving in we started noticing some very strange plantations growing nearby. They were composed of Holm Oaks peacefully swaying in the breeze and surrounded by beautiful terrestrial orchids. After asking some of the neighbours what they were, we were delighted to discover that our little farm was in fact built on top of a diamond mine. A Black Diamond mine.
Home, potentially the birthplace, of the most famous truffle in the world, the BLACK DIAMOND, the Périgord Truffle (Tuber Melansporum) is a funny looking underground mushroom, prized for it’s captivating aroma that sells for around 1000 euros a kilo. We then realised that perhaps we should be growing some of these funny little evergreen oak trees too!
Just four months after moving in and two months after the birth of our second son, we planted our first 50 inoculated truffle trees in the field just above our house - the perfect Terroir for this notoriously elusive fungus. Thankfully, being surrounded by around 20 truffières (truffle plantations) and being lovingly nudged along by some of the locals, our hopes were high.
The following year, we planted another 300 or so trees and launched Black Diamond Truffle Trees. A Truffle Tree adoption scheme. Wonderfully, we have been well received and have adopted many of these trees to truffle enthusiasts around the globe. Of course, now that we had our very own truffle farm, surely it was time to get ourselves a TRUFFLE DOG.
Along came Duggy (named after the verb ‘to dig’!) from a local truffle dog breeder. An adorable Lagotto Romagnolo who has rightly risen through the ranks to become CEO of Black Diamond Truffle Trees. After all, without him, we just own some pretty fields with little trees in them. Aside from being the most wonderful family dog, he is a truffle hunting machine!
He quickly got into in his stride and was uncovering these truffles everywhere with his super sensitive truffle snootle. Duggy finding a truffle really is quite an incredible thing to watch. Now armed with a fluffy truffle detector, it was time to join the local Truffle society. For us, this was the North Sarlat Truffle Association.
It was during a discussion with the President of the association and some of his guests, that we learned that some locals use Truffles in Cosmetics. One particular lady was raving over her grandmother’s anti-aging infusions comprised of black truffle macerated in some of the prized local walnut oil. Apparently, Truffles are absolutely full of nutrients, some very seldom found in nature, that are fabulous for the body.
Apparently, from France to Italy, wherever these fungi grow, you are sure to find Noble Ladies using them to enhance their skin. Well documented for their ‘magical’ properties for thousands of years, The Romans attributed the birth of the truffle to a thunderbolt thrown from Jupiter in the vicinity of an oak, the sacred tree of the lord of the gods. It is possible that Truffles are one of the earliest cosmetic ingredients ever used.
It was at that point that that the idea for TRUFFE Périgord was born. After amazing trials here at the farm focused on skin care we knew we had something really special. We contacted our great friends and wizards of 3 generations of alchemists in the GREEN cosmetics industry. They makes use of modern techniques to vastly improve the extraction from our truffles (both water and oil based), to take them to a whole new level.
In February 2025 we released a day cream - crème de jour mycorhizienne, and a super hydrating night cream - crème de nuit mycorhizienne. Both made with natural ingredients, with no harmful chemicals such as silicones and parabens, and absolutely packed with the ultimate hero ingredient, the Emperor of the mycological world - the Black Truffle. It’s where History, Science and sheer Opulence meet.
One of our aims since moving here is to move to live in the most natural way possible. We want to eat quality local produce. We want to collect our own firewood to heat out house and heat our water. We want to drink water from the natural springs that burst from the surrounding aquifers. We want to stop filling ourselves with harmful chemicals found in so many foods and stop applying cosmetic products to our hair and skin that contain harmful, even toxic chemicals.
Now we are pleased to share what is abundant here and embodies one of the natural world’s great luxuries from a setting where the locals place a higher value on quality ingredients and being good to their bodies and sensitive with nature. We can now send a ‘shaving’ of the French dream to everyone.
So interesting and informative. It truly is a magical place, where you are at one with nature. Truffle Perigord is the natural progression and is a result of the right conditions, the investment of hard work, tons of love and perfect geography. I am loving my day and night Truffe - and so is my skin! Very very special