Clermont oils win gold at the Paris Agricultural Show

L'or en fuité vert et en fruité mûr. – SD

Deux huiles produites à la coopérative de Clermont ont été récompensées d'or lors du concours général agricole.

For more than 30 years, the Paris Agricultural Show has been an unmissable event for the Clermont-l’Hérault olive cooperative. A departmental structure which brings in, on average, nearly 800 tonnes of olives per year. But, at the end of February, it's a completely different harvest that the Clermontaise oil mill has just achieved in Paris. Because in addition to the impressive volume processed each year, it is the quality of its products which was rewarded, Sunday morning, during the general agricultural competition where two Clermontese oils will have harvested "two gold medals, one for ripe fruity and the other for green fruity", specifies Sandrine Baldayrou, director of the cooperative confectionery oil mill .

Recognition of the work of an entire olive chain

Good news for the sector, in the heart of Hérault. "It’is recognition of the work of some 1,400 Héraultais cooperators who, upstream, bring the fruit on time and in suitable containers. Then, the work and efficiency of the staff and then the sales teams make it possible to promote the product", greets the manager of the confectionery oil factory.

Stand out from foreign competition

Well before the Olympics, these two gold medals, and the Agricultural Show, bring a welcome breath of fresh air. "It’is very important for us, especially at the moment, in the context we know. It is essential to place emphasis on olive growing, which is practically the poorest agriculture. It’s a complicated sector, you have to be able to stand out from the southern countries: Italy, Spain, Morocco." To do this, the appellations: AOP Lucques du Languedoc, obtained in 2018 (in edible olive) and AOP olive oil from Languedoc, (valued in 2022), are undeniable assets.< /p>

A loyal customer base

And the show is a fantastic showcase. "We have to meet the consumer. It’s also important for our customers in Paris who, very often, come to visit us, in the summer, in our stores in Clermont-l’Hérault or Pézenas." Proof, perhaps, that Hérault products are even tastier at home… "Yes, indeed, everything tastes much better here", jokes Sandrine Baldayrou. 

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