Le Moulin d’Opio

Nestled amid olive trees in the gentle foothills between Grasse and Cannes, which locals call l’arrière pays niçois, lies the Moulin d’Opio, home to olive oil of unquestionable provenance. From humble origins in 1848, a thriving enterprise has been created by seven generations of the family Michel. Early one misty morning in October, I meandered up from the coast to meet family member Laetitia Agnello, who showed me the fascinating workings of the mill – ancient and modern.

The early wooden implements and mechanisms on display in the mill’s reception area are virtual antiques now, polished smooth with decades of wear. Pride of place is given to examples of the massive granite grinding wheels which are still used to turn the olives into paste – this method has remained largely unchanged since Roman times.

Balance of Power

By contrast, the Moulin d’Opio has been witness to revolutionary changes to the power source needed to drive the millwheels. The giant water wheel which sits proudly attached to the mill building is now a picturesque legacy of former days. When electrical motors were introduced in the 1930s, the fundamental requirement to site mills near a source of water was at an end. Although the Moulin d’Opio has upgraded its original technology on several occasions, and is consequently now the proud owner of a pretty sophisticated set-up, the mill is still very much about small-scale, non-industrial production.

The mill has grown into a thriving business with a range of designer- labelled oils, tapenades and other sauces and condiments, yet it is still very much at the heart of the local growers’ community. If you should ever buy a property here and find yourself the proud owner of a terrace of olive trees, then chances are that you would bring them to the Moulin to have your harvest turned into oil. You would be in good company – rumour has it that the King of Belgium has a country palace near here and brings his olives to the mill, alongside those farmers with more modest holdings.