The incredible journey of olive oil Montpellier Dilemma at the Paris Agricultural Show

Bénédicte Ayme et Laurent Brunel sur le stand de l'Hérault au Salon de l'agriculture grâce à Maxime Maillot. MIDI LIBRE – Y. PO.

Elle était prof et lui viticulteur dans le Vaucluse. Bénédicte Ayme et Laurent Brunel sont maintenant oléiculteurs et assemblent leurs produits chez eux… à Montpellier derrière la gare. 

Bénédicte Ayme and Laurent Brunel were not predestined to find themselves at the head of an olive farm in Saint-Pargoire. Even less did they think of assembling their products in Montpellier, at home, behind the Saint-Roch station, in their garage which had become a workshop…

And yet, destiny placed on this couple, this 10 ha olive grove which they exploit under the name of Dilemma with gourmet olive products "which we seek to develop". He, a winegrower in Vaucluse, stopped growing vines during the 2003 crisis to become an engineer in Montpellier and a multi-activity farmer. She was an applied art teacher and joined her companion in Hérault where they met Michel and Josepha who wanted to retire. They cede the exploitation of 2,000 olive trees to the couple newly installed in Montpellier.

"We had to learn to sell"

Laurent keeps his hands in the earth and trains himself in this new profession, gradually abandoning his old activities to concentrate on his olive trees. Bénédicte resigns from National Education to do the same. They use many varieties: mainly Lucca and olive which will make an olive oil that is partly organic. Part of it continues to go to the Clermont-l’Hérault cooperative.

Verdale, amellau, picholine

But the couple also works with verdale de l’Hérault, amellau, picholine or more exotic varieties like picual, manzanille or ascolana… Assembled to make high quality oils or into products worked with spices to make very popular dishes, the fruit of their labor is sold in organic grocery stores, directly, in Parisian markets or festive markets. ;: "We're just starting out, it's still complicated, above all we had to learn how to sell. But we hope to develop to be able to make a living from it", explain Bénédicte and Laurent.

Who can make their atypical journey known at the Salon de l’agriculture in Paris where, for the second year "we can show off our products and meet people ;rsquo;other producers. We build relationships, it’s very enriching". A couple who believe in quality agriculture and who thank Maxime Maillot, referent of the Hérault Chamber of Agriculture and the Department of Hérault for hosting them and associating them to this extraordinary adventure. Which is just getting started.

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