The Forcalquier region is home to some thirty distilleries, of which the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence are the flagship. The company, born in 1898, was then called Distillerie de Lure. It was bought in the early 1920s by Paul Ferréoux, a painter and wine and spirits merchant, who created Pastis Paulanis, the ancestor of Pastis Henri Bardouin. At the end of the Second World War, Henri Bardouin, who had started as a worker in the distillery, took over first shares of the company and later the whole distillery in 1962. He put all his knowledge and passion at the service of plant-based aperitifs and liqueurs, the range of which he expanded. Alain Robert, the current manager, joined the distillery in the early 1970s. He gave new impetus to the company, whose marketing became international. In 1984, Distillerie de Lure became Distillerie de Haute Provence before being bought by the Pernod-Ricard group in 1987. In 1990, Alain Robert (photo) bought the company from Pernod Ricard, renamed it Distilleries et Domaines de Provence, and made a fresh start with the creation of Pastis Henri Bardouin.