Left to dry at the edge of the fields for about three days to rid them of the accumulated water, the pre-wilted lavenders are loaded into trailers by claw grabbers to be transported to the distillery. The flowering stems are then dumped at the foot of the distillation vats, in which they are transferred using pitchforks. The lavender is then treaded by several people who climb into the vats and crush the stems with their feet for about an hour. The stems must not be treaded too tightly in order for the distillation to be carried out properly.