Tadé Pays du Levant

Tadé Pays du Levant is a French family-owned soap and natural-cosmetics company based in Signes, in the Var region of Provence. It was founded in 1995 by Thaddée and Adeline de Slizewicz and built its reputation as France's first importer of traditional Aleppo soap, the olive- and laurel-oil bar known in French as Pain d'Alep [1][6]. The company describes itself as a family business celebrating the traditional craftsmanship of the Mediterranean, working with natural and certified-organic raw materials.

Alongside the imported Syrian soap, Tadé produces and sells Savon de Marseille, natural skincare, hammam and bath products, and home fragrances. Its work straddles two shores of the Mediterranean, with production tied both to Aleppo in Syria and to Provence in France.

The company traces its beginnings to Thaddée de Slizewicz, who first travelled to Syria while studying geography and completed a three-month posting at the French embassy's cultural agency in Aleppo [6]. He became captivated by the region's traditional Aleppo soap and brought it back to France; his wife Adeline joined him in the venture [6]. Tadé presents its own origin as, in its words, "l'histoire d'un coup de foudre" — a love story between the couple and the Levantine Mediterranean.

Sources differ slightly on the starting date. The brand's own site and business-press coverage give the founding year as 1995 [1][7], while some editorial accounts refer to 1994; that earlier date, however, describes the first import shipment — a 26-tonne container carrying roughly 200 kilos of soap and artisanal goods — rather than the founding of the company itself [6]. Early sales were tested at markets around Hyères and the Côte d'Azur, and a breakthrough came with visibility at the Maison & Objet trade fair in Paris around 1998, which shifted the business from direct selling toward wider distribution [6].

Tadé opened a purchasing office in Aleppo in 2003, employing around fifteen people there, and relocated its French headquarters to Signes in 2006 [6]. The Syrian war from 2012 onward severely disrupted operations: the company's roughly 2,000-square-metre warehouse in Aleppo was destroyed, supply was heavily cut, and production ceased for a period around 2012–2013 [6]. According to founder Thaddée de Slizewicz, "our exchanges with Syria are our DNA," and the company set out to rebuild both its supply chain and its Aleppo presence [7].

By 2018, Le Journal des Entreprises reported turnover of 2.84 million euros, roughly 250 product references, and a presence in more than 40 countries [7]. In late 2018 the company introduced what it describes as the first COSMOS-certified Aleppo soap, developed with the certifier Cosmécert. When Aleppo became accessible again around 2019, Tadé helped its master soapmaker restore the war-damaged soap factory [6].

Tadé's range centres on soap. Its signature product is the Aleppo soap, made only from olive and laurel oils; the company describes a traditional process of cooking in cauldrons followed by roughly nine months of open-air drying before the bars are hand-cut, stamped and stacked to mature. Other well-known lines include Savon de Marseille and the Savon Noir du Hammam, a black soap used in the hammam bathing ritual.

Beyond soap, the company makes natural skincare, body and bath care, and home fragrances, organised into several collections such as Tadé Méditerranée, Aleppo Soap Co, Marseille Soap Co and Tadé Art de Vivre. Recurring ingredients across the range include olive and laurel oils, argan oil, alum and pumice stones, Dead Sea salt and black soap. The company markets its products under the tagline "Art de vivre et bien-être de Méditerranée."

Tadé positions itself around Mediterranean heritage, describing its mission as guaranteeing, elevating and respecting ancestral savoir-faire. It frames its values under five headings — Méditerranée, Authenticité, Naturalité, Transmission and Engagement — and emphasises what it calls a relationship of proximity, trust and solidarity between local artisans, particularly in Aleppo, and consumers.

The company says it follows an eco-design approach intended to limit environmental impact, citing natural ingredients, bulk sales, eco-responsible packaging and product certifications, alongside a commitment to fairer trade. A selection of its products carries COSMOS Natural, COSMOS Organic or ECODETERGENT certification, and the company states that its products are not tested on animals. Since 2015, Tadé has supported Les Baroudeurs de l'Espoir, a non-profit that helps children in Syria and Lebanon return to school [7].

Tadé Pays du Levant is active. It runs an operational webshop with recent product launches, maintains social-media accounts, and continues to source from Aleppo and produce in France, exporting to more than 40 countries [7]. The company describes itself as having around 30 years of experience, consistent with a 1995 founding.