Most women have a signature scent that expresses an aspect of their character. But imagine, if you can, a fragrance that conveys humanity, compassion, joy and every other fundamental emotion; love, hope and forgiveness, a deep longing for peace, an instinctive compulsion to reach out to those in need. Afghan Orange Blossom is just such a perfume. So too is Vetiver of Haiti; Middle East Peace (which combines grapefruit from Israel and lime from Iran) speaks for itself. These gorgeous scents are made from flower and other essences farmed on land where there is conflict or devastation.
The brand is The 7 Virtues and it’s a uniquely intriguing concept; the story of how they came to be made, by Canadian mother-of-two Barb Stegemann, 44, is no less extraordinary.
In 2006, Barb’s best friend Trevor Greene, a captain in the Canadian forces in Afghanistan,
was taking part in a peaceful discussion with village elders about how clean water and healthcare could be brought to the area. He had taken off his helmet as a gesture of goodwill, when a 16-year-old boy came up behind him and struck the back of his head with an axe. ‘It was horrific,’ says Barb. ‘Onlookers said his brains were falling out of the hole in his skull. Somehow he got emergency treatment and was flown to Germany, where his skull was rebuilt, and then transferred to Vancouver.’ The assailant had been killed by another member of the platoon.
Barb pays farmers to grow orange blossom for its oil rather than poppies for the heroin trade
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