No stone left unturned for makers of Paris region's first olive oil
When life gives you olives, make olive oil. That's exactly what a group of neighbours on the outskirts of Paris have done – turning fruit from their garden trees that was dropping to waste into the region's very first olive oil.
The Paris region already produces its own beer, wine and cheese. Thanks to the ambition of residents in the southern suburb of Malakoff, it can now add olive oil to that list – a modest 50 litres, but it marks a beginning.
“Born to be Olive” isn't available in the shops but has been shared out between the olive growers and those who supported the fundraising operation, says Vincent Chevrier, the brains behind the project.
He invites me to dip a piece of bread into the yellow liquid with a hint of green. It's light and fruity.
"I think it's quite complex," says Chevrier. "It's not filtered so it's a pure, natural, organic product with a hint of acidity which is very pleasant. And what's incredible is that it's the result of all the olives we received – over 40 different varieties.”
Chevrier struck on the “slightly absurd” idea of making local olive oil about a year ago while walking through his home-town of Malakoff and noticing that many houses had olive trees like his own.
“We don't have a mill so we can't process them here in Paris,” he explains. “It’s a bit daft to lose your fruit, and since we can’t do anything individually with a handful of olives, a few kilos at most, I thought we should try and get everyone together.”
He began knocking on people’s doors whenever he saw a tree in the front garden. "To date, we've counted more than 120 trees in two square kilometres."
Read more on RFI English
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