Frequently Asked Questions
Shipping information
We deliver everywhere in France, as well as in the countries listed below: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal.
We also deliver to England and Switzerland. Please contact us by email at contact@bastidedulaval.com to order.
For Metropolitan France:
Shipping costs are free at relay points from 50€ of purchase and to home from 90€ of purchase.
For Germany and Benelux:
Shipping costs are free to your home from 120€ of purchase.
Bastide du Laval undertakes to ship your order within 72 working hours, plus delivery times depending on the service provider.
Delivery is 2 to 4 working days with GLS and 4 to 6 working days with Mondial Relay.
From November 1, 2022, the retention period for packages delivered to Mondial Relay Relay Points and Lockers will be reduced to 8 days.
You can also collect your order free of charge in our store located in Cadenet (84)
Particular care is taken with packages containing fragile products. Packages are oversized and protected.
If your package arrived damaged, take a photo attesting to the condition of the product and send it to contact@bastidedulaval.com. We will process your request as soon as possible.
Very sensitive to temperature differences, our 50cl & 1L cans are likely to deform with the heat in summer or the cold in winter during shipment. These deformations in no way affect the quality of the oil, they are purely aesthetic. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Olive oil information
Our oils are finishing oils; we advise you to add a drizzle of olive oil at the end of the dish so that it can release all its aromatic power.
To best preserve your olive oil, be sure to store it away from light, heat and oxygen.
Our 9 olive oils offer a very vast aromatic palette: go to the Our olive oils page to find the right match.
Our oils come from olives from our olive grove of 4000 trees certified in Organic Agriculture as well as from our local producers. All the olives are crushed in our mill located in Cadenet in the Luberon. You have the opportunity to visit the olive grove as well as the mill all year round: go to our “Visits and tasting” page for more information.
Do you want to know more about the history of the Bastide du Laval? Visit the “Our Story” page to discover the secrets of this family business.
Have you just bought a bottle of olive oil and it’s not leaking?
Put the bottle upside down and wait a few seconds. If nothing happens, gently jolt downward while maintaining this position. Just a little patience and your oil will flow!
If the problem persists, do not hesitate to contact us on 04 90 08 95 80 or by email at contact@bastidedulaval.com.
To learn more...
- Concours Général Agricole - Paris 2023: 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal.
- Competition for French Olive Oils with Appellation of Origin - Nyons 2023: 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal.
- Brignoles Fair Competition 2023: 3 gold medals and 2 silver medals.
- Southern Region Olive Oil Competition 2023: 3 gold medals and 2 silver medals.
It is the same olive: the color is determined by the maturity of the fruit. In our region we harvest the green table olive towards the end of September. The “rotating” olives for the green fruity oil are harvested around mid-November while the black olive stays on the olive tree longer and is harvested later when it reaches maturity. In regions not threatened by frost, they can be harvested until April.
It takes on average 5 kilos of olives to make one liter of oil but this varies depending on the varieties used, the maturity of the olives, climatic variations...etc.
We grow 5 varieties of olives on the estate: Aglandau, Picholine, Cayon, Salonenque and Bouteillan. The Aglandau variety is largely the majority. These are also the main varieties constituting the AOP Provence.
This means that we do not use any chemicals during the annual olive tree training process. We turn the soil over a few centimeters instead of weeding and we only use organic fertilizers. To fight against the olive fly, we use a neutral clay called calcined kaolinite: it is a barrier which prevents the fly from laying eggs.
Certification in organic farming also involves an administrative process and a commitment that requires several years before obtaining certification. It is issued by a certifying body which carries out checks and samples in order to verify that the specifications for organic farming are respected to the letter. Our certification body is ECOCERT.
AOP means Protected Designation of Origin, it is a European identification sign which protects the name of a product whose production, transformation and development must take place in a specific geographical area, with recognized know-how. and observed.
The characteristics of the products thus protected are therefore essentially linked to the terroir. AOP products are managed according to specifications integrating production conditions (tree spacing, varieties, irrigation dates, harvest dates, etc.), processing and labeling. Our olive grove is located in the “Provence olive oil” Protected Designation of Origin zone.
Virgin and extra virgin olive oils are olive oils obtained by exclusively mechanical or physical processes which do not result in any alteration of the product.
Extra virgin olive oil has an acidity level of less than or equal to 0.8% and is of impeccable quality with no defects.
Virgin olive oil has an acidity level of less than or equal to 2% and a higher quality with the possibility of a slight taste or olfactory defect.
When we talk about a “first cold pressed” or “cold extraction” oil, we are referring to an oil extraction process that is done without excessive addition of heat. This is a process during which the olives are pressed or centrifuged only once, at the optimal temperature which will allow most of the oil they contain to be extracted without damaging their aromas and flavors. health qualities. This type of extraction allows the nutrient elements of the oil to be preserved (vitamins, phenols, polyphenols, essential fatty acids, etc.) as well as their aromas. A “first cold pressing” or “cold extraction” must be done below 27°C.
The oil obtained is then this first pure natural fruit juice containing all the essential nutritional principles. For our Bastide du Laval vintages, we prefer not to heat the dough above 20° so that all the constituent aromas of the fruits are preserved in the oil.
We spoke of first cold pressing when the olives were crushed with a millstone and the paste spread and pressed on “scourtins” or circular plant mats.
Today, the dough is simply centrifuged after mixing in order to extract the oil mechanically. We then speak of cold extraction.
The European Union and the Southern Region supported and accompanied us in the development of our mill in Cadenet in Vaucluse.
They have notably contributed to the optimization, modernization and expansion of our production tools: from crushing, mixing and centrifuging olives, to the transport and storage of olive waste, including the storage of oils.
The olive glossary
It is very widespread in Provence. It is the main variety found in the Luberon territory.
This is the most interesting Provençal variety, it has a very good yield, its aromas are found in the AOC de la Vallée des Baux, the AOC du Pays d'Aix, the AOC Provence, the AOC of Haute Provence of which it ensures the taste identity and reputation.
Its flavor is powerful and fiery. When tasted, it stings the tip of the tongue and invades the mouth, triggering strong salivation, while the flavors of artichoke and freshly cut grass exude.
It is mainly cultivated in the Var. However, its great ease of adaptation means that it is found in many other olive-growing departments (Gard, Hérault, Bouches-du Rhône, Alpes de Haute Provence, etc.)
Bouteillan is one of the main French varieties for processing into oil. It generally gives high yields but the percentage of oil per fruit is very sensitive to the quantity of water (rainfall and irrigation).
The oil is fiery and herbaceous, late it develops a taste of ripe pear, and also has a fairly pronounced banana aroma.
It is very widespread in France. It is found in Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Corsica, Languedoc and Roussillon. Although this variety is originally from Gard, it was established in almost the entire French Mediterranean region during the restructuring of the olive orchard following the frost of 1956. It is a rustic variety. Its abundant flesh, quite fine, firm and crunchy, is very popular with cocktail lovers; it has aromas of vanilla and cloves and produces a very sweet oil.
It is mainly cultivated in Bouches-du Rhône and, to a lesser extent, in Var. It is a variety that delights organic olive growers because Salonenque is not favored by flies. It provides a green fruity oil, quite sweet.
Cayon is a French variety used mainly for processing into oil in the Var department, where it originates. Its ease of adaptation and its ability to pollinate the Lucques and Tanche varieties have led to its diffusion in all departments where these varieties are cultivated.