The Olive Harvest: An Ancient Ritual

November in Provence means one thing above all others: the olive harvest. For three or four weeks, depending on the weather and the variety, the nets come out, the families gather, and the ancient rhythm asserts itself.

Our olives are the Aglandau variety - the classic Alpilles olive, prized for its oil with that characteristic peppery finish. The trees are old, some of them dating back a century or more. They don't produce every year with the same generosity. A good year can yield fifty kilos of olives from a single tree. A bad year, after late frost or summer drought, gives you almost nothing.

The Mill

Within 24 hours of picking, the olives go to the moulin - the mill. Time is everything with olive oil. Oxidation begins the moment the olive is separated from the tree, and every hour matters. The cooperative mill at Fontvieille opens in October and runs continuously until January, processing olives for farmers across the region.