The best local producers Drôme

This estate has been in the same family for six generations. A century ago, wheat was the main crop. Then crops diversified. Today, olive groves, vineyards, orchards and market gardens occupy the land. Domaine des Arches offers a wide range of fruit and vegetables, not forgetting Nyons oil, table olives, fruit juices, jams and Côtes-du-Rhône wines, all available direct from the small roadside store next to the farm.

Founded in 1902, Vercornoix produces over 80 tons of walnuts a year. Just outside Saint-Jean-en-Royans, in the direction of Saint-Laurent-en-Royans, Vercornoix opens its pretty wooden store. Here you'll find walnuts and a whole range of by-products, as well as handcrafted Vercors products. Most of the production is carried out on site. Walnut oil, walnut aperitif, vinegar, jam, mustard, sweets... A tasting bar on site will help you make your choice. Gift idea: the "cooking box" or the "snack box".

Henry, Marcel, Joseph, Patrick, Louis and Emma... Today, the fifth generation is at the helm of Huilerie Richard. The Richard family has been processing olives since 1885. Originally, Henry Richard pressed his olives in Mollans-sur-Ouvèze before delivering the oil to his customers by mule-drawn cart. The first mill in Nyons was inaugurated in 1922. Then came the move to Aouste-sur-Sye in 1958, and finally the inauguration of the new Montoison mill, dedicated to walnuts and rapeseed, in 2006, with its direct sales boutique. A boutique on the outskirts of a production mill is a popular option. As for the know-how and rigorous extraction methods used to produce the oils, these have remained unchanged for 140 years. The Richard company now has 19 truck stores, 10 stores and 4 mills. The store next to the mill in Nyons has a loyal following, and the new little boutique in Aouste-sur-Sye, in its pretty stone house, has quickly found its clientele. Alongside olive oil, the ancestral star, and olive by-products, the company has expanded its range to include walnut, hazelnut, rapeseed, sesame and pumpkin seed oils, as well as an ever-growing organic range, all available in its stores and online. Added to this are cosmetics and gourmet products. Richard's boutiques offer comforting stopovers. For something a little more unusual, take a seat at the oil bar and dare a tasting!

The Brès farm, with its 1,900 olive trees of the tanche variety, is at the heart of the Nyons protected designation of origin zone. For six generations, the tanche has been worked to make PDO Nyons table olives and black olive paste called "affinade" as well as PDO olive oil, olivade, a green tanche olive paste with garlic and basil, and a tapenade made from Nyons olives flavoured with organic dried tomato. You will find these products for sale directly from the farm all year round and at local markets.

René Bayle took over the family business in 1995. With his 500 olive trees, cultivated using integrated farming methods, he produces three oils: a Nyons PDO, 1 single variety of tanche and 1 single variety of fruité vert verdale. Between 500 and 600 suppliers come to his mill on a continuous basis. From 200 kg, they can take away their own oil. The mill's added bonus: it's entirely heated with olive stone residues.

The last factory of scourtins (circular filters used for oil extraction) in France is in Nyons, where Ferdinand Fert founded it in 1882. Although the freeze of 1956 nearly bankrupted this craft, today Frédérique and Arnaud Fert, his great-grandchildren, continue to make them as decorative objects. In their workshop, still using coconut fiber, they make scourtins that will become interior mats, bath mats, trivets or place mats. And don't miss the beautiful store.

The Espace Vignolis houses the store dedicated to the sale of its production with its tasting counter (oil, spreads and wines) as well as other local products, a museum of the olive tree (free visit) and an exhibition gallery. You will discover around the stone millstone and various presses, the instruments formerly used for the extraction of the oil and its conservation. A greedy and fascinating stopover. Many offers on the Internet.

It is a reference in terms of authentic and artisanal ravioles. The ravioles are small fresh raviolis filled with cheese and aromatic herbs in their classic version, originating from the Vercors region, and which now offer multiple variations... Store, free tasting and virtual visit of the production workshops at the Cité de la Raviole located in downtown Romans. A must for gourmets. 24-hour distributor in Mours-Saint-Eusèbe.

In the middle of the old presses and millstones, the old mill now houses the shop. A state of the art mill allows us to crush the olives within three days of harvesting and to produce a range of extra virgin Nyons PDO oils, from the sweetest to the fruitiest. A video recounting the four seasons of the olive, a shop where you can stock up on home-made olive oil and a multitude of other local products awaits you.

Le Père Craquant was a famous pastry chef from Saillans, whose real name was Jean Eynard, who operated in the 1920s. Improving on the traditional recipe for almond croquettes, he invented a cookie so good that its fame spread beyond France's borders. Today, Craquant remains crisp and delicious, and is available in four versions: plain with almonds, almonds and chocolate, and with orange or lemon peel. Also on the shelves: navettes and meringue macaroons.

Since 2024, a renovated direct sales space in downtown Anneyron for produce from the Allegrets farm. The first strawberries and asparagus in spring, ratatouille vegetables in summer, fruit for jam and squash in autumn. Here, seasonal fruit and vegetables are available month by month, affordable and rich in flavour and vitamins. At Les Allegrets, Samuel Baron and his brother Jérôme cultivate their land pesticide-free. In the boutique, Mélanie and Lydie welcome you.

Safran du Val d'or - l'épice d'automne is a local producer located in Albon, Drôme. In a verdant setting, you can discover a wide range of products derived from saffron, including jams, chutneys and confectionery. The store is open all year round by appointment.

As part of the Bienvenue à la ferme network, the Gaec de Brette Vieille offers direct sales of the farm's products: goat's milk cheeses at different stages of maturation and in different preparations (garlic, pepper, curry...), goat charcuterie, honeys, walnuts, walnut oil, lavender essential oil, cosmetics... Discover a farm surrounded by lavender fields, walnut orchards and goats. Present at the Saint-Nazaire market in summer. Two self-catering cottages on the farm.

Founded by the Meynier family in 2001. Les Grands Goulets' old-fashioned ravioles, made with good local produce, are larger than the usual ravioles. The filling is present and generous. You'll appreciate their authentic, herbaceous flavor, their melt-in-the-mouth pastry and their cardboard box. A wide range: with porcini mushrooms, Vercors Sassenage blue cheese, spinach, snails, artichokes, morels... Come to the source!

In a region committed to organic farming, Biscuiterie du Rozet's delicacies are free from artificial or chemical additives, and made with selected ingredients: fresh, stone-ground flour, free-range eggs, fresh butter from Ardèche... Gourmets are spoilt for choice: almond shortbread, Breton shortbread, lemon shortbread, coconut, candied ginger or walnut rochers, chocolate or raspberry fillings, speculoos, almond tuiles, meringue, chocolate almond cookies, palmiers, croq'avoine, Swiss... The latest addition: hazelnut shortbread. Retro gift box.

Jean-Marc and Sophie Robin are... spiruliers. Come and discover their farm and the artisanal spirulina of the Drôme des collines. Spirulina is an exceptional alga, an elixir of well-being and health. This product offers the body essential nutrients to fight against fatigue, overwork and certain diseases. Spirulina from the Algoa farm is grown in a pesticide-free greenhouse. Harvested, drained, pressed and dried, the algae is reduced to dehydrated flakes. A concentrate of vitality. Visit the greenhouse on request. Tasting, cooking classes.

The Saint-Joseph honey factory has more than 500 hives. Up to 14 honeys are available: acacia, chestnut, lavender, etc. and a more gourmet range with almond, caramel, lemon, walnut and pistachio honeys... Honeys made with a high quality requirement but also "health products" collected from the hives such as royal jelly, pollen and propolis. Group visits are possible by appointment, otherwise you can always enjoy the transparent hive at the entrance.

The estate covers almost 150 hectares, 15 of which are devoted to arboriculture. The olives harvested have the Nyons PDO label, and are used in confectionery for the smaller fruits, and in the olive oil press. Its light green fruity taste is ideal for eating raw. You can also taste the Aumage's other products on site: apricot nectar, jam and spread, cherry nectar and lavender honey. Gîte and restaurant available on reservation.

Delicatessens sell its cookies. You can also buy them at the factory, facing the Mont Ventoux. The Bedouin family founded this farm in 1833 to produce almonds, lime, apricot pits, cherry tails. In 1997, the company became a cookie factory producing navettes, macaroons, croquets, canistrelli... Today, the 300 m² gourmet market offers direct sales of 150 home-made recipes and more than 300 local products including a selection of regional wines, honeys and jams or around the Nyons olive.

In 2019, Mélanie and Florian Bompard took over the honey business created by their parents 20 years earlier. They manage a herd of 400 hives and produce honeys from lavender, rosemary, acacia, chestnut... They also make black nougat, gingerbread, honey cookies and honey sweets. Their favorite recipe is the Écureuil, a honey and hazelnut delicacy. The guided tour is sure to enthral you, and in turn inspire you to take up the cause of bees. Evening concerts are scheduled in summer. Self-catering accommodation available.