The best local producers Bouches-Du-Rhône

Did you know "The Horses Whisperer"? Here is "the man who whispers to his olive trees", Franck Crouzet. A man who also tried the actor's job during his spare time. The man, from n Paluds-de-Noves, is starred in the feature-length "Avis de mistral", produced in 2014 by his cousin, the screenwriter Roselyne Bosch. In this dramatic comedy set between Alpilles and Camargue, Franck Crouzet is acting opposite Jean Reno, the headliner, in the role of a Provence inhabitant who talks with its olive trees. Obviously, he ressembles... If Franck Crouzet likes to deal with his trees, it is to encourage them. A little as a sporting team's trainer. "Each time I gain a competition, I will tell them " we've got the medals! " "It should be said that this former nurseryman, who converted himself in the olive business fifteen years ago, accumulates the rewards. Until the most prestigious, the Excellence Award in the general agricultural contest in 2014 and 2015. The AOC Provence oil he produces from the fruit of its 4,000 trees, that he planted one by one, is a "must".

In the mill built in 2002, Catherine and Jean-Benoit Hugues combine know-how, passion and all their sensitivity as olive growers to produce high-potency oils every year. 10 olive oils are produced, as well as 6 natural aromatic oils. This year, they're offering a convivial tasting in the mill courtyard under the olive trees. Visit, taste, stroll and liberate your senses. Contemplate the site too, thanks to an ingenious QR code system presenting the olive-growing profession.

Located outside the village, Moulin de la Coquille presents exclusively the produces of the estate. On the 35 hectares property, the olives are crushed during 24 hours after their harvest. It results in an unfiltered olive oil of protected designation of origin of Vallée des Baux-de-Provence. It is sold in can or in bottle, whose rather retro label will inevitably seduce you. And for a unique experience, the mill offers you to collect the olives and leave with "your" oil under your arm.

Olive oil, its history and its production are a matter of passion. It is even a family history. The welcome is pleasant, the place is really worth a look: an old Provencal farmhouse planted in the middle of Alphonse Daudet's country. Of course, the oils from the mill are made from the four varieties of olives that make up the Vallée des Baux-de-Provence PDO. You can visit the mill and take part in tasting workshops.

Le Mas de Cayol is a boutique located in Les Baux-de-Provence. They offer a wide range of Provencal products such as olive oils, olives and spreads, cosmetics, local produce, olive wood and wines. They also offer a drive-through and delivery service.

The Gaubens family has been running this family estate for six generations now. The orchard, of Roman origin, includes thousand-year-old olive trees. The harvest is taken to the oil mill in Coudoux, where it is produced in the traditional way. To preserve its quality, the oil that rises to the surface of the settling tank is collected "à la feuille". This equipment produces four types of oil, all fruité noir, from aglandau and salonenque olives. Over-ripening and the miller's know-how give them their particular flavors. Winner of eight awards at the Concours Général Agricole in Paris, including five gold medals, this oil will win you over!

It is at Fanette's that the Puechens used to come to have a drink in the shade of the chestnut tree. Since 2006, the Berge family has planted olive trees, 4 ha in organic farming, from which they produce an olive oil with the AOP Aix-en-Provence label. The production gives pride of place to the green fruitiness, ardent in the mouth, with aromas of artichokes and cut grass to be enjoyed with a fresh goat cheese. The oil " Goût à l'ancienne " reveals all its aromatic richness on a fish dish for example. A confidential production sold directly at the domain. The welcome is warm.

More than a thousand olive growers and individuals visit the mill each season. The mill crushes between 150 and 250 t of olives, producing between 30,000 and 50,000 l of oil. The olives are crushed by a granite millstone and pressed the old-fashioned way, in scourtins. Machines and know-how that favor a fruité noir: an oil that's very fruity, but never fiery. The precious nectar is then stored for a month at the mill in tanks that allow it to settle. It is then redistributed to customers in January.

For Laurent Belorgey, olive growing is a family affair. Trained as an engineer, in 2010 he took over the estate created by his grandfather in the 1960s, then perpetuated by Marc, his father.
For several years, the estate has been collecting medals of honor in the biggest competitions, and this is not by chance. Between the Salonenque, the Béruguette, the Verdalle, the Grossane... all varieties of olives are pampered. A visit is necessary...

The olive oil season takes place between the end of October/beginning of November and the end of December. The producers bring their harvest in order to crush their olives. This mill perpetuates a specificity: the old-fashioned production. After maceration, the olives are crushed with a stone millstone, the oil is pressed with scourtins and the oil is harvested manually "by the leaf". The mill offers three different oils for sale, and a tasting session will help you appreciate their subtleties. The visit is possible all year long.

This large building, from the depths of time, rises majestically against the southern slopes of the Alpilles. Since 1489, the tradition of olive oil and wine has been perpetuated here, and today, it is used for receptions. Whether for accommodation or catering, the place is full of elegance and nobility. The staff is not only professional, as one would expect in an establishment of this class, but also attentive, pleasant and caring. The cuisine is of course of high quality, and dining on the terrace is a real pleasure.

From the original mill built in 1626, an authentic chapel press still remains. In 1920, the mill was transformed into a cooperative. Today, 450 members come to have their olives pressed in this impressive mill capable of crushing 5 tons per hour! Four types of oil are made here. The shop also sells tapenade, olive jars, white Camargue rice, Camargue salt and gift boxes.

Today, the Rossi family, who have owned the mill for sixty years, continue the tradition of olive growing in the village, which has no less than 420,000 olive trees. The mill has of course been modernized, with state-of-the-art equipment, but the architecture of the building has remained the same. In the adjoining shop, you can discover the mill's oils, whose bottles bear the famous "golden drop". And for tableware, you will find in the shop the essential garlic peeler, and objects made of olive wood.

If olive oil is, of course, the flagship product of the Moulin de Barbentane, with an exceptional quality and a widely recognized flavor, there are also many by-products: anchovy paste, tapenades and many other things, equally delicious and even cosmetics. Originally a family building, the oil mill is now a real place where Jean Roche, master miller, produces olives in all their forms. The setting is warm and friendly and you can taste exceptional products. An unmissable stopover.

A clever address for fans of Provençal olive oil. The olives are grown locally on the estate, harvested by hand and cold extracted to produce olive oil from different varieties: aglandaou, salonenque, caillon, picholine, frantoï, grossane and bouteillan. Several choices are offered to you, in bulk, in glass or stainless steel bottles, from 1 to 5 litres. Private individuals can have their own olives crushed!

This wine estate also grows olive and almond trees. The 2,000 olive trees are all organically grown and are of the aglandau variety. The olives are harvested in rotation, to ensure a green fruitiness full of aromas. And to preserve them as much as possible, the fruit is pressed just after harvesting. He welcomes you and explains his know-how. A discovery trail allows you to wander between vineyards, almond and olive trees in a unique natural setting. A rural gîte, located on the estate, is available for rent.

Founded in 1781, the oldest bakery in Marseille has been preparing for over two centuries the famous Marseille navettes, inimitable, whose recipe is still secretly kept. Moreover, they can be kept for whole months because they are only made of dry ingredients. They smell of orange blossom, just like the neighbourhood, literally embalmed by the smell of the bakery. Traditionally, they are eaten by candlelight. It's a matter of taste, but many say that you can find the best shuttles in town here.

The oil of Jean-Philippe Montagard is regularly praised at the General Agricultural Competition in Paris, but also praised by lovers of the green gold of the Vallée des Baux. Produced from typical varieties of the terroir (grossane, aglandau, salonenque and verdale), olive oils are stamped PDO Vallée des Baux de Provence and comes in two varieties: the green  with more herbaceous taste, and the black with flavours of ripe olive. Jean-Philippe Montagard and his wife Chantal also offer an organic version of their oils. But also green and black tapenades, pulp of green olive with basil and with tomato.