“France is not necessarily known as an olive oil-producing country, so we have a big job ahead and that’s the work we do at France Olive. We communicate about this diversity of flavors and particularities of the French production,” said Laurent Bélorgey, president of France Olive, the inter-professional association of the olive sector in France.
It really is still a mysterious tree. That gives it its charm and sometimes makes it irritating.
Previously known as Afidol, the organization recently changed its name to mark its 20th anniversary and also as a way to “give it a clearer name to face future challenges.”
Olive Oil Times met Bélorgey at his estate, La Lieutenante, at the Vallée des Baux de Provence, in the South of France.
“The situation of the production of olive oil in France is rather good now. But we must know that we have come a long way for this. We had some very bad harvests that posed a risk to the production. But the last two years we’ve had pretty good harvests and now we have a satisfying level of production,” he explained.
“We had a production of around 6,000 tons last year, and this year we achieved the level of 5,500 tones,” he added.
See Also:The Best Olive Oils from France
France is the sixth-largest producer of olive oil in Europe, after Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus, according to figures provided by the International Olive Council.
Following the example set by the wine sector, olive oil production in France adopted the system of protected designations of origin — or Appellation d’Origine Protegée (AOPs), by the mid-90s.
Since then, eight designations of origin were created, covering almost every region along the French Mediterranean coast.
The size of those protected areas varies from the 16 villages included within the limits of the Vallée des Baux — one of the smallest protected areas — to the 434 belonging to the AOC of Provence.
“We often say that there are some 20,000 olive producers in France. Nevertheless, that figure ranges from the small producer who has just a few olive trees in his garden and who takes his olives to the local cooperative, to the professional who cultivates 20 or 30 hectares. However, most of the producers own small properties. There are few producers with more than 50 hectares. The majority has an average of 10,” Bélorgey told us.
Olive trees at La Lieutenante (Pablo Esparza for Olive Oil Times)
France’s bid for its AOPs turned out to be one of its olive oil’s main assets — as it helped the country to preserve the particularities of its cultivars.
However, this system also brought some of the sector’s key challenges.
“There are over 20 protected local varieties in France. But those cultivars are not necessarily the most productive,” Bélorgey explained.
“The main challenge for an olive oil producer in France is to make those local varieties productive enough. We need to get the most out of them so that the producers can make a living out of their production.”
Bélorgey believes that it is possible to double the current average production of 250 liters of oil per hectare in France.
“It’s not a matter of reaching industrial production levels. It’s just about better accompanying the producers in terms of training about pruning, about watering, about fertilization, and also funding research,” he said.
France’s olive oil production suffered a severe setback in 1956 when a massive frost killed most of the country’s olive trees.
Apart from explaining why it’s hard to find old olive trees in most parts of the country, the big frost forced France, as Bélorgey put it, to “to restart from scratch.”
Laurent Bélorgey
After a long period, the government implemented a relaunch plan in the ’90s aimed to recover the olive oil production. Some 10,000 hectares were planted during those years, allowing the sector to look at a brighter future.
“Today, all those trees that were planted within the framework of the relaunch plan should be fully grown and increasing production,” Bélorgey said.
When asked about his personal experience as an olive oil producer, Bélorgey made a clear distinction between his role as president of France Olive and his role as owner and manager of La Lieutenante.
His estate of 48 hectares of olive trees is in the flatlands, south of the natural park of Les Alpilles, at the Vallée des Baux, in the heart of Provence.
His 13,000 olive trees produce oil that won a Gold Award at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition in 2019 and 2017.
“My estate is pretty average within French production. We have a big variety of cultivars and that allows us to blend all those cultivars and get the flavor we love,” he said.
Bélorgey came back to Provence — and to olive oil production — after his father passed away in 2001.
“Before I used to work in finance at a bank in Luxembourg. Then, I decided to take charge of the family estate,” he said.
“What is really fantastic about the olive tree is that we actually don’t know it. So every year it’s a surprise because we don’t know what kind of harvest we are going to have. It really is still a mysterious tree. That gives it its charm and sometimes makes it irritating.”
Related Articles
Jul. 12, 2023
Graza Co-Founder Andrew Benin Is on A Roll
Already in 3,000 stores across the U.S., the upstart Graza has momentum rarely seen in a notoriously crowded and challenging marketplace.
Oct. 23, 2023
Europe Approves PDO for Memecik from Aydın, Turkey
Aydın Memecik is set to become the country's third Protected Designation of Origin for olive oil.
Feb. 13, 2024
Local Mils in France Are All the Rage
An ample harvest and high prices have led to a surge in activity and investments in community mills.
Jul. 12, 2023
Quality Places Cambodian Importer on World Stage
Tiger Power imports Tunisian extra virgin olive oil produced on the company farm in Nabeul and sourced from other local growers.
Jan. 5, 2024
Buoyed by Awards, the Pope’s Official EVOO Producer Looks Ahead to Harvest
Pontiffs have traditionally favored extra virgin olive oils of Lazio. Domenico Sperlonga is following in the footsteps of his forefathers to serve Pope Francis.
May. 30, 2023
Patience and Investment Yield Award-Winning Olive Oil from Hills of Verona
The Cordioli family continues to overcome climatic challenges to produce their extra virgin olive oils in one of the world’s northernmost olive-growing regions.
Dec. 18, 2023
Reflections on 45 Years Championing Italian Olive Oil in America
Nearly half of a century after a chance encounter with an Italian olive oil producer, John J. Profaci looks back on his role in the American market.
Mar. 19, 2024
Registration of Kalamata Olives as Intellectual Property Renews Controversy in Greece
The registration of the Kalamata table olive PDO from Messenia with WIPO will restrict the term's use by table olive producers in Greece, re-igniting an ongoing debate.