Four prizes including three gold medals at the 20th Southern region olive oil competition on Thursday! The Castelas mill in Baux-de-Provence, which employs around twenty people, maintains the quality of its artisanal production and prepares for the transmission of its know-how to a new generation. After a first career in design, Émilie Hugues is preparing to take over from her parents, founders of this emblematic mill in the Alpilles which produces 90,000 liters of around twenty different oils, including several PDOs.
“The olive tree is an exciting tree that catches up with you and Provençal olive oil is an artisanal product, top of the range and at the same time accessible”, summarizes the young woman who “prepares a smooth transition”. “There is a generation of olive growers who will hand over and the question of what to do next arises”, supports Laurie Biancone, quality manager in charge of blends which must respect specifications according to their appellation. “From the maintenance of the trees to the pressing at the mill, it’s a lot of work with strong variations in production for each vintage. »
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“For consumers, olive oil is the image of Provence and the Cretan diet,” observes Émilie Hugues, who sells her production at the mill store, on the Internet or to professionals. “The medals and prizes collected reward the whole team and allow us to check that we are seeing the truth. »
The Paca region represents 66% of French production of olive oil, nicknamed green gold, with 5,500 tonnes last year, a tiny figure compared to Spain or Italy and which does not allow today to meet growing consumer demand.
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