In the past, the department 66 was a significant olive oil producer. After the terrible winter in 1956, olive trees were replaced by peach, abricot or cherry.
THere are seven local varieties of Roussillon olive: oliviere (the most known), poumal, glory, verdale de Millas, courbeil, argoudeil and redouneil. Other varieties exist in the department like arbequine from Spain, Lucques from Languedoc, Picholine from the Gard department
passionate producers of olive oil from Pyrenees Orientales gathered in a union to make possible a protecteed designation of origine ‘Roussillon Olive Oil’, with the help of INAO (national institute in charge of this label)
THis is for promoting local varieties of olive which give to the oil such a particular taste. ALso to encourage tradtional production, refusing intensive fruit hedges: according to the specifications, trees should be at 7 meters from each others to get all the sun. the Roussillon olive oil logo is a tree (oliviere, very specific) with the mont Canigou in the back ground