Interview with Sophie Tafani, owner of the 100 mL perfumery

Quite simply. After 25 years with the agency, I wanted to take a break, to take some time for myself and those around me, without any constraints or professional pressures.

The agency has been and will remain a wonderful professional experience for me, and I’m very attached to Jean-Noël and Alexandre, the directors, who are close friends of mine. I’ve learnt everything from them, with the rigour and high standards demanded by this top-of-the-range clientele, even if over the years the constraints of seasonality and availability have sometimes weighed on me.

Having a quiet summer and enjoying the sun and sea was a luxury that I was lucky enough to be able to realise.

I don’t really regret anything because I also think it was the right time for me to change my world.

But after a while, having always worked, I started to think about what I wanted to do next, and then things got complicated, because if you leave out the property and construction sectors in Porto-Vecchio, opportunities are rare.

As luck would have it, the owners of an elegant niche perfumery in the heart of the old town decided to hand over the business. As a loyal customer, I was informed of their intentions very early on and said to myself: why not take the plunge?

The transition went very smoothly, with the previous owner at my side for several months and, during the winter, a few trips to Paris to meet the brands and listen to the designers.

The Christmas holidays were my real ‘baptism of fire’ in customer service. It’s a real pleasure to put such beautiful products under families’ Christmas trees, in the unique atmosphere that reigns in Porto-Vecchio at this time of year.

The main difficulty lies in stock management: we offer a wide range of products, many of which are exclusive. And we always have to highlight new products.

100 mL is truly a niche perfumery, and certainly unique in Corsica.

Since it was set up over 10 years ago, the boutique has been selling exceptional brands of perfumes, cosmetics and accessories.

This winter, I’ve been lucky enough to meet a number of perfumers, and behind each creation there’s a passionate person: whether it’s Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, founder of Parfum d’empire, who tells a moving story through each of the fragrances he designs, David Frossard for the Obvious brand or the founders of Skin Diligent, who took over 4 years of relentless research to perfect their famous Vitamin C serum or their new night cream, which are now highly acclaimed.

This summer, with Fabienne Rossi, we’ve decided to honour Parfum d’Empire, who will also be present at the Casadelmar boutique, with their Corsican collection of candles and perfumes.

You can wish me a great summer with lots of happy customers, which will enable me to get on with my immediate projects, such as setting up my website for online sales and click and collect, the idea also being of course to retain the clientele of second homes throughout the year, which is so important for our businesses.