Our gastronomy professor took us to well known oil shop/mini factory. It is located far from center and surrounded by nature. Small building with a big sign of factory’s name ‘’Huilerie Richard’’. The shop contains not only oils that they produce but also some soaps, food products and utensils for kitchen. Our guide showed us the way to little oil factory. The mechanic machines looked old and not so used so often. Before telling us all the oil making processes, she explained that this oil factory is owned by millers and passed from father to son for already five generations. It started since 1885. Now Richard, the owner and father of two sons, still is producing in this place with help of his sons three types of oils-from walnuts, hazelnuts and roasted rapeseed. It all starts with cleaning seeds and nuts. For walnut is much easier. They are cooperating with local farmers that are growing walnut and gathering with the family to clean it out of its shell for an exchange of oil. Good partnership in my opinion. After comes crushing of the product and then pressing the juice that is oil. Machines may be old but make their work done perfectly. We were shown the film of other regions of France where oil, mostly olive oil, is produced. Processes are the same and every year they product different amount of oil depending on the weather that year. They also mix olives from other countries, Spain for example. Then came the tasting part of the tour. We tasted about five different oils and they differed a lot from each other. More bitter or more soft, strong and mild. I fancied hazelnut oil because it reminded me of Nutella paste. I bought it to take it with me to Latvia. Wanted to buy much more but the limited weight of my suitcase stopped me.
More information on web-site:
https://www.huilerie-richard.com/