Société des Ocres de France

French natural ochre producer founded in 1901 and family-owned for four generations. It says it is the last company that mines ochre ore and refines it into pure ochre, at its factory in Apt, from its quarry in Gargas, the last one still operating in Europe. Its production page describes extraction, washing, settling, drying, grinding and, for other shades than the dominant yellow/orange, calcination. It holds the French EPV (Living Heritage Company) label since 2017. Its shop sells about one hundred natural and synthetic pigments (its own ochres plus other pigments, metallic and pearlescent powders) and ready-to-use products such as limewash, lime renders, coloured plasters, Swedish/flour paint kits and fine-arts supplies.