Olive growers: cultivating the terroir, in strict accordance with the specifications

Olive harvest – Vallée des Baux-de-Provence PDO
© Matthieu Colin for France Olive

What is an olive grower?

An olive grower is a farmer who cultivates olive trees. Their work involves planting and maintaining olive trees (pruning, irrigation, pest and disease control, fertilisation, etc.) and harvesting the olives. A producer may also market their own oil (which they will have had extracted at the mill) or their own olives.

What is its role in PDO?

The olive grower is the first link in the chain: without them, there would be no PDO. In the olive groves of the appellations, they often grow olive trees as part of multi-varietal farms, alongside other crops (vines, fruit trees, market gardening, sheep or cattle farming, etc.). The olive grove is one source of income amongst others, but is always cultivated to the same high standards.

His appearances for PDO

  • Identified and registered plots: Only olives harvested from orchards situated within the geographical area of the designation, planted with varieties authorised by the specification, are eligible for the PDO designation. And it is not enough simply to be within the area; producers must also register with the PDO protection and management body as olive producers. This is therefore a voluntary process and not automatic. The olive grower therefore registers with the ODG and is inspected by a certification body, which accredits them as an olive producer. By registering, the producer undertakes to comply with the PDO specifications and accepts the associated inspections throughout the duration of their accreditation and the product’s lifecycle.
  • Regulated agricultural practices: pruning, soil maintenance and irrigation management must comply with the rules set out in the specifications.
  • An up-to-date cultivation log, made available to inspectors: every intervention is documented and traceable.
  • A regulated harvest: The start date of the harvest is set each year by decision of the Director of the INAO, on the recommendation of industry professionals, and the fruit is picked at the stage of optimal ripeness defined by the appellation.

It is at this very first stage that the guarantee of origin is established: PDO olives must be grown within the appellation’s terroir, from local varieties that give them their distinctive character.