Olive oil producers Aude

It is on the hillsides of Narbonne that Henri and Louis Durand, father and son, will take you on a tour to discover the crushing of olives and the tasting of oils. The oil mill of the Mas de Geyssière produces an olive oil with fruity aromas, a reflection of the land and the varieties: lucques, olivière, picholine... The walk among the 1200 trees of the orchard (6 ha) is a unique moment. It is possible to buy products made on the spot such as: olive oil, olive paste with herbs, table olives... Excellent gift ideas.

The Sou mill, belonging to the CAVALE cooperative, produces and crushes 100 tons of olives from November to December. After the washing and crushing stage, the olives are carefully kneaded by the millers. The fruits from the olive, aglandau, picholine and bouteillan varieties are used to produce two extra virgin oils: the Olisoli intense taste, subtle taste and old-fashioned taste and the Olisancti Christmas oil. The products can be found in many sales outlets but also online at terroir-limouxin.com.

Dominique and Jean Bardou opened their store on the banks of the Canal du Midi, but their 4,200 olive trees, 16 hectares of trees planted in 1957, with varieties of lucques, moncita, picholine and olive tree, are located 25 km away. Jean takes pleasure in making people taste his preparations, giving tours of the mill, as well as looking for original containers for his oils. Enjoy an initiation by appointment and finish with a tasting of the wines of the domain. They also offer cosmetics made from their olive oil, go and discover them quickly!

Passionate about the land and its history, Elena Anton divides her time between her truffle field of 1,350 oak trees, her olive grove and her authentic gites. On her farm, she offers her products for sale in her small store, as well as local products such as salt with Gruissan truffles. She also offers educational activities. As for the gites, nestled in a coomb, in the middle of holm oaks and olive trees, they are classified 3 or 4 ears of corn and can accommodate 4 people each. All of them are built according to eco-environmental standards.

The Odyssey of the Olive Tree, within the Oulibo cooperative, combines staging, sound and light, educational tours, multimedia screens, sound effects... to discover the king tree of the Mediterranean. The 1h30 visit begins with the olive grove, then a sound and light show that retraces the stages of oil production will be shown. If you want to know the different virtues of the oil, the symbolism of the olive tree, the jobs related to the olive (scourtinerie...), this is the place to go.

The Gruissan Oil Mill, located on the outskirts of the Massif de la Clape, owes its existence to the true passion of its owner, Frédéric Granier, an olive farmer since 1996; who created the Gruissan mill in 2009. Specialized in the plantation of the olive tree up to the sale of finished products through an assiduous and meticulous control. Thanks to their diversity of character, the olive groves planted near the mill allow the elaboration of subtle blends as well as varietal vintages. Lucques, Olivière, Bouteillan, Aglandeau and Picholine, that is to say about 1 800 trees whose green fruits are found in the productions elaborated by Frederic Granier. There are no less than 20 references of olive oils that the producer offers in his store. The store reflects the traditions of the South: many regional and Provencal products are presented here, in addition to the mill's own productions. In addition to the wide range of olive oils, you will be able to indulge yourself with olive oil-based cosmetics, shower gels and soaps, as well as honey and other souvenir items and gift ideas (hand towels, tea towels, potholders, gourmet baskets, etc.). The olive grower will be happy to show you around his workshop and his mill: you will then be able to discover what goes into the making of his local products. A warm welcome, for individuals as well as for groups.

Cop à Coop offers organic or organic-reasoned products from its founding members from Sigeanne; Jean-François from Domaine Saint-Michel des Etangs and Emmanuel from Domaine Vent Terral for organic wines. Benjamin and Emmanuelle, breeders from Bergerie du Salin, for sheep and goat meats, and Boris from Potager Sigeannais, for organic fruit and vegetables. The range is rounded out by local producers with a similar approach. It's a real short-distance grocery store. And let's not forget the festive evenings when all these products are in the spotlight!

Bioplanète's award-winning productions are the pride of this Audoise company founded more than 30 years ago. It is the oldest organic oil mill in Europe, whose products are produced locally and through fair trade. From the fields to the bottling, all the manufacturing stages are elaborated by hand. The range includes more than 78 top-of-the-range oils, always cold-pressed, but also wheat germ, chia, black cumin, flax, hemp or camelina, and innovative products such as organic clarified butter or Ghee.

It is an organic farm where vegetables such as potatoes, leeks, white onions and pumpkins are grown. Aromatic plants are also grown here. Rose, thyme, sage, lavender and rosemary are used in essential oils and flower waters. Since 2003, 10 hectares of olive trees have been planted on the southern slopes of the estate. Its flavours of black olive, Jerusalem artichoke and undergrowth are to be discovered. It is a very nice discovery, full of quality choices!

Of the six children, Luc Pasquiet was the only one who wanted to take over his parents' estate. It must be said that he discovered the olive-growing profession at the same time as they did: he was at secondary school when his parents started olive-growing in the 1980s. While helping them with the harvest, the idea gradually took root. When his parents retired, he took over the olive grove scattered in several parcels around the village, and in particular behind the abbey which is the charm and fame of Lagrasse. That's about 7 hectares of trees, the oldest of which are a hundred years old. While his parents favoured integrated farming, Luc chose to go organic and began converting the estate to the AB label as soon as he arrived in 2013. A year when the fly was particularly bad and his entire harvest was lost. However, Luc Pasquiet is still faithful to his post: on the Lagrasse market on Saturday mornings, but also in his little shop at the foot of the old bridge. There, he offers four single-variety oils in fruity green: olive, a rustic variety typical of the Languedoc, the lucques, with which he also makes table olives, the bouteillan and the picholine. The "cuvée du terroir" is a green fruity made from a blend of what the other cultivated trees produce (aglandau, cailletier, arbequine). As for his olive pastes (without capers or anchovies), he makes them in his workshop and integrates, according to his recipes, the vegetables he grows in his garden.

The La Cavale cooperative, which has just celebrated its centenary, is a reference in the Limoux region in terms of agricultural supplies and plant production. But the cooperative also offers a range of products that delight us, all in an eco-responsible approach: Olisoli olive oils - Le Moulin du Sou, Ardence eau de Vie, a craft beer: Alambiquée and the famous Mint, Tangerine or Lemon Crème Religieuse from the Apéroc range. You will find them in the delicatessens and the Gamm Vert stores of the Haute Vallée de l'Aude.

Since 1999, the Marin family has been farming 1,800 olive trees on 4 hectares of land. The harvest, which can reach 10 tons of fruit in the best years, is taken to the nearby Millas mill. But what really makes the difference with the other producers in the region is the choice of a unique variety... and originating from Spain: the arbequina. Its olive tree gives a small and round fruit, particularly adapted to the production of oil. And, inevitably, the one from the Moucha estate is unlike any other of its closest competitors.