Since 1998 we dedicate ourselves to the olive oil production in the Sud-Luberon region. My wife and I produce a highly awarded extra virgin olive oil and have started grinding the olives ourselves in 2014. Our history is the result of an adventure which started with the return to nature. Nowadays, this allows us to control the production process of our products step by step. Being a son of winemakers and a daughter of farmers, in 1998 we decided to change our lives to find a meaningful task that is connected to our Earth. Eventually we fell in love with a small vineyard in Cadenet in Sud-Lubero and an old abandoned manor that watches over the region. Its situated on the banks of the small river Laval. This is where we planted thousands of olive trees and dedicated ourselves to the study of olive cultivation and the production of olive oil. Since 2020, our son Léo has taken over the reins of the mill with the same ambition to produce the most aromatic oils possible. At the Bastide du Laval, everyone has their own role and responsibilities. I’ve continued managing the olive trees. Quentin, my other son, takes care of crushing the olives. Léo deals with blending oils, logistics, marketing and the overall management of the company. We’re obviously supported in all this by a great team of exceptional people! Joining CrowdFarming was a great opportunity for us to discover a new world of more responsible consumption. And to introduce our oils to French and foreign consumers who we could never have reached on our own. Since we are located at the boundary in climatic terms for the cultivation of olive trees and we need to prune our trees each year, our yield is limited. The trees put all their energy in the few olives that hang from the branches. Since we aim to produce a high-quality and extraordinary olive oil, we had to make this sacrifice. Our olive cultivation is based on the guidelines of organic cultivation. The star among the fertilizers suiting our cultivation philosophy is animal manure. As soon as it is composted it is rich in microorganisms and benefits the regeneration of humus and the improvement of the soil quality. Slow and steady it releases minerals stored in the soil and needed by the olive trees (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Harvest is pure manual work where we use combs and nets. When the farmer is devoted to the cultivation of his products it is not recommendable to risk anything in the further processing of the products. The olive oil made from the olives from his trees should be in accordance with his values. Thus, in our case the olives should be grinded slowly and carefully. This is how we got the idea to install our own oil press and in doing so gained control over all of the production processes. Further it allowed us to follow the requirements in connection with the search for excellent quality.

Situated in the heart of the Nature Park “Parc Naturel du Luberon”, North of the city of Aix-en-Provence and only a couple kilometers away from Lourmarin Bastide du Laval earned its name from the river that flows from the Luberon massif and passes our region before leading to the river Durance. We have been cultivated this are extending to 30 hectares with olive trees, vines and other woods since 1998. Our olive grove covers 15 hectares and 4,000 trees and is located in the protected area Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée « Huile d’olive de Provence » (Controlled Designation of Origin of the Provence region). Traceability, control, knowledge and appreciation of the region are herewith guaranteed. Our farm has an organic certification. We use a drip irrigation system and irrigate mainly during the flowering period and the beginning of the fruit bearing period as to give the trees minimum hydric comfort, essential factor for the production of olives. We extract the minimum necessary water from our well that goes up to 180 meters deep! On rainy years like the current one, rain water is enough to irrigate our trees. The oil press is designed with a minimum environmental impact and a maximum of energy self-sufficiency in mind: orientation, isolation, consideration of the features of the location and the use of high-quality and local materials. Even outside of this press we use these principles. The olive pomace (residues left after olive pressing) are used as biofuel to heat the oil press. The pulp after composting is used as fertilizer for the soil. Processing the olives with our own press allows us to cut time between harvest and grinding to a minimum and prevents fermentation and a loss of flavour. The oil extraction is done in a continuous cold press process. The modern machine was designed by a Tuscan engineer who is obsessed with the quality of oils coming from his press. It is a two-stage mill that does not add any water to the shredding processes of the olives. Consequently a majority of the flavours of the olives is preserved in the oil.