Find out how we make Castelas olive oil

We built Castelas Mill in 2002 to the model of a winery. Making olive oil and wine are very similar processes – a fact which Catherine, a vigneron's daughter, can vouch for! The two approaches – from harvesting perfectly ripe fruit through to extracting the juice and blending the varieties – have much in common.

We decided to build our own mill to control every stage in the process – choosing our olive harvest date, production method and blends. This enables us to extract the best from each variety and, most importantly, to craft an olive oil that reflects our conception of this elixir.

Like some winemakers, we seek to extol the fruitiness and freshness of the olive in our oil, while giving it a limpid, pure character of great finesse. A little of this state of mind flows from our bottles…

Come visit our mill… and find out how we make Castelas olive oil

Weighing

The olives are transported from our groves to the mill in 250-300 kg crates. On arrival they are weighed and then tagged by grove, variety and time of arrival.

Deleafing

Our leafing machine works like a powerful blower, removing the leaves and twigs not cut off in the groves.

Cleaning

This is done with a cleaning machine. The olives are dipped in this water bath to remove the dust that has built up during the summer. Once clean, they are conveyed inside the mill to the crusher, in an endless screw, for the extraction phase.

Crushing

The crusher is the key feature of our facility. To respect the constituents of the olive which confer its aromas and flavours, the crusher works the fruit gently. The olives are slowly pushed through a first grid, which partly breaks them up; then through a second grid, to gently finishing off crushing them without heating up their paste. The olives are crushed with their stones because these contain an antioxidant which acts as a natural preservative.

Mixing

The paste is then mixed for 20 to 40 minutes in a tank containing an endless screw, to release the oil contained in the vacuoles (cavities in cell cytoplasm). During this phase, the temperature is kept below 27°C, hence the term "cold extraction". We only mix briefly, so that all the fruitiness of the olive pulp finds its way into our oil.

Settlement

The settler separates the paste solids from the liquid. It uses centrifugation in a large metal cylinder rotating at high speed. The paste is crushed against the walls of the drum. The oil, being lighter, is collected in the centre. The solids, which are called "grignons", are recycled in our groves as a source of nutrients for our trees.

Centrifuge

The oil then passes into a second centrifuge, which rotates more slowly on a vertical axis, and is cleansed of all impurities. The olive oil thus obtained is gravity-fed into the tanks in the basement.

Tank room

To prevent oxidation, olive oil's great enemy, the oil is immediately gravity-fed into our semi-buried tanks in the basement. Here it is stored away from the light at constant temperature.

Bottling machine

We bottle as and when we need to. This stage allows one last quality check on the product before it leaves the mill.

Labelling machine

Applying the labels is the final touch before our produce is shipped or sold on-site.

Come visit our mill… and find out how we make Castelas olive oil