BETSARA
Two childhood friends. One tree. One obsession: ravintsara.
Tahina, our Franco-Malagasy co-founder, returned to Madagascar to plant ravintsara on his family’s land. Tristan built the brand in France. Together they created BETSARA: a direct, ethical trade around ravintsara and ravintsara essential oil — no broker, no middleman, from our trees to your bottle.
Everything is done by hand. In Madagascar, Tahina and his team (Rambinina, Ratsimba and Léon) handle planting, harvesting and distillation. In France, Tristan handles bottling, labelling and distribution. BETSARA has been awarded Best Organic Product three times: 2019 (essential oil), 2022 (ravintsara leaves) and 2023 (herbal infusion).
Tahina SPIRAL, Franco-Malagasy born in Grenoble. Producer of ravintsara essential oil in Sahambavy, Madagascar.
Tristan IMBERT, from Grenoble. Co-founder of the brand, in charge of distribution in France and Europe.
The story in more detail
Tahina SPIRAL is a Franco-Malagasy born in Grenoble. In November 2009 he returned to his country of origin to start a ravintsara plantation on his family’s land in Sahambavy, in the Fianarantsoa region of Madagascar. The same year he founded his company, SARL GARCILASIO. His first harvest took place in April 2011. The oil, tested by aromatherapy specialists in France, proved to be of very high quality.
Selling his first oils, Tahina discovered the conditions imposed on Malagasy producers by large export groups. Disappointed by the lack of respect for Malagasy work, he co-founded the PNPF Ravintsara (National Platform for the Promotion of the Ravintsara Sector) with other producers, to revalue the work of producers and establish a common language on ravintsara production. He served as its president from 2011 to 2012, helping raise producers’ knowledge of planting and processing methods. At the same time, he decided to sell his products directly in France.
Two childhood friends, one direct supply chain
To promote Malagasy know-how and the quality of his products, Tahina reached out to his childhood friend from Grenoble: Tristan IMBERT. After several years of preparation and training, Tristan left his job in September 2014 to commit fully to the project. Through his network, he met many therapists who supported the project for one simple reason: the quality of the oil. In April 2015, Tristan founded SARL AKAL NIVAS in France and the BETSARA brand was born.
Today, Tristan and Tahina run BETSARA together: a short supply chain, decisions taken as a pair, and full transparency — we publish the chromatographic analysis of every batch. In Madagascar, Tahina works with a trusted team built over the years: Rambinina, Ratsimba and Léon.
