In its 27 October 2026 edition, the daily newspaper La Provence covers the olive harvest on the hill of Mont d’Or, in Manosque (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). Some of the trees in this municipal olive grove are more than 200 years old.

Paolo Chabot, farmer and owner of Terres de Bonaventure, oversees a harvest that keeps to tradition. The olives are picked with electric combs and fall onto nets laid at the foot of the trees. No mechanical shakers are used, so the trees are not harmed.

The main variety is aglandau, the signature olive of the Haute-Provence olive oil PDO. The poor, stony soil and the great age of the trees give the oil a character of its own. The olives are picked while still green to keep their aromas. They are then taken straight to the farm’s mill in Valensole, where they are pressed in a two-phase process with no added water. Terres de Bonaventure handles every step, from caring for the trees to bottling the oil.