The Olidoc in Clermont l’Hérault

A cooperative confectionery oil mill unique in Hérault

Born in 1920, the olive-growing cooperative of Clermont-l’Hérault is the only and last cooperative establishment in the department, the frost of the terrible winter 1956 having got the better of other cooperative establishments in Hérault. It produces a typical olive oil, made from local varieties such as Clermontaise, Lucca, l’Olivière, Ménudal, Verdale de l’Hérault, Picholine and Amellau. The Oli d’Oc store was created in 1987 and was merged in 2004 with the Saint-Jean-de-la-Blaquière confectionery. For a long time carried out on avenue Wilson in Clermont, the operations of crushing olive oil and preparing table olives have been carried out since 2007 at the Moulin d’Augustin, located on avenue Louis Villaret. The avenue Wilson site hosts the cooperative’s shop and tasting stands.

The house of the olive tree

Before discovering the Moulin d’Augustin boutique, the Maison de l’olivier is an exciting site not to be missed: near our campsite in Clermont l’Hérault, we discover the oil-making processes and olive oil history through the centuries, through a rich exhibition of old tools and period documents. A film helps to understand all the current stages of oil production, from harvest to bottling. The production line of the new mill can be visited as a group by reservation: it is then also possible to witness the olive crushing, which takes place from November to January. The tour of the olive tree house ends with a tasting of the different varieties of oils in the Moulin d’Augustin shop.

Mill products

The production of the mill includes extra virgin olive oils of different types: traditional oils composed of a blend of varieties from Verdale de l’Hérault, Lucca, Picholine, Olivière and Ménudal; oils with the organic farming label; seasonal olive oils; varietal oils composed exclusively of Lucca, Clermont, Bouteillan, Aglandau, Picholine, Verdale or Ménudal. The shop also offers boxes and baskets bringing together several products: oils, but also soaps and cosmetics, tapenades and table olives. The Clermont-l’Hérault cooperative has been awarded several medals and distinctions for the quality of its products. She works in particular with the variety of Lucca from Languedoc, which obtained the AOC in 2015 and then the AOP in 2017.