When you think of olive oil, you mainly think of Southern European countries, including France. While French production lags far behind that of Spain or Italy, the quality is on par with its Mediterranean neighbors.

Europe is the prime land for olive trees, whose cultivation dates back to ancient times. Olive growing has been present for centuries solely in Southern European countries, home to the world’s largest orchards. Spain, Italy, and Greece alone account for nearly 60% of the world's olive orchards, with many key regions. Leading the way are Andalusia in Spain, Tuscany and Apulia in Italy, Crete in Greece, Alentejo in Portugal, and, of course, Provence. There is also a small production of olive oil in Croatia and Slovenia.

Besides Provence, the Côte d’Azur, Languedoc-Roussillon, and the southern Rhône-Alpes region are also olive-growing areas. The olive-growing zone in France consists of often limestone soils, bathed in sunlight and with a mild climate.

France has 13 olive-growing departments and more than a hundred varieties of olive trees, each endemic to a specific territory. The most iconic olives include Grossane, Lucques, Picholine, and Berdale de l’Hérault.

France has the most AOP olive oils in Europe

According to France Olives, which represents the olive-growing industry in France, there are 15 olive-growing appellations of origin. This accounts for just over 10% of the 110 AOP olive oils in Europe. With 30% of all French-made olive oils bearing an AOP label, the percentage of production of these protected oils is higher than elsewhere. It reaches 30% of production compared to 5% in Portugal and 3% to 4% in Spain, Greece, and Italy.

There are nine AOP geographical areas, with 1,282 municipalities part of one or more Appellation d'Origine zones out of a total of 1,615 olive-growing municipalities. This represents about 65% of olive-growing municipalities. The size of these zones varies greatly: from 16 municipalities for the AOP Vallée des Baux-de-Provence to 464 municipalities for the AOP Provence.

  • 5,400 hectares, representing just under 10% of the French olive-growing area (but a quarter of the olive-growing area cultivated by farmers).
  • About 600,000 to 700,000 olive trees, or 17% of the orchard, cultivated by around 8,000 producers.
  • More than 50 processors.
  • 950 to 1,200 tons of olive oil.
  • 500 to 900 tons of olives.

A significant presence at Gourmet Selection

France Olives and the Institute of the World of Olives recently awarded their medals for the best olive oils in France in Nyons (Drôme Provençale) during the National Competition of Olive Oils with Appellation d'Origine in March 2024.

The competition judged 166 olive oils presented in 12 categories, awarding 37 gold medals and 15 silver medals. The criteria considered by the fifty jurors included the fruitiness of the product, organoleptic characteristics, typicity, quality, and the harmony of the oils in the mouth.

During the Gourmet Selection show, olive oils occupy a prominent place. A dozen companies presented their products, mainly from France, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Lebanon. During the 2023 edition, the clementine olive oil from Nice by the brand “A l’Olivier” was awarded a “Best of” for its astonishing blend of flavors.