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History
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A family's story
Since 4 generations
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Ancestral gestures: Albert BERENGUIER in 1963 |
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The stone grindstone |
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- 1928 : Félix BERENGUIER
- 1950's: Albert et Heny BERENGUIER
- 1970's : Serge BERENGUIER
- 1998 : Anthony BERENGUIER
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 1928
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Purchase of a building to be used as an Olive Mill by the Great Grandfather, Felix Bérenguier.
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1950's
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Albert and Henri Bérenguier, the 2 sons of Félix continued with the family tradition, until the 1960's when the rural exodus began and the wish of many farmers to go towards more profitable types of agriculture, essentially vineyards with lesser financial risk. Little by little the terraces of Olive trees, difficult to cultivate, disappeared from the countryside, the surrounding environment changed.
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1970's
Serge BERENGUIER, son of Albert, decided to re-open the old Olive mill and with the existing structure he re-approached some of the old customers and once again Olive Oil flowed at the Olive mill of Callas.
The culture of the Olive tree was gently re-introduced little by little. Once again the countryside and the terraces which were once abandoned grow cultivated olive trees.
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On June 23rd, 1979
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Serge Bérenguier became owner of the "Moulin de Callas", the third generation of the Bérenguier family to do so, and undertook the following steps in the modernization of the Olive mill.
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August 10th, 1979
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Installation of a super Olive press replacing the 2 old hydraulic presses.
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1980
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Fitting of 3 decantation basins.
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1983
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Renovation of the Olive mill, building permit to remove existing roof and elevate existing building.
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1987
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Purchase of a centrifugal machine.
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1988
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Building permit to enlarge the mill and to create a shop area.
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1996
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Installation of continuing extraction chain for the olive oil.
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On Octobre 1st, 1998
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The Olive mill changed its legal identity. The "S.A.R.L. Le Moulin de Callas" was created, Anthony BERENGUIER, son of Serge, employee in the establishment since 10th October, 1995, joined the company. The 4th generation of Bérenguier had begun.
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We handle each year the olives of more than 500 local customers and in the past two years we have been able to notice the emerging of big contributors who produce between 5 and 40 tons of olives.
The olive cultivation is in full revival in the department of the Var: new plantations, plans to develop and re-organize old olive groves to their former glory, financial help from the department and shortly a label of origin controlled for the olive oil of the Var.
So many strong signs of a dynamism which asserts itself around the olive tree. The association "COVAR" set up the "Road of the Olive Tree" which is grouped together in a beautiful editorial naming every "varois" Mill.
We are also a part of a grouping of producers and we open our "olive groves" to tourists, after the visit a tasting of the different varieties of olive oil is proposed.
A way of maintaining an ancestral art of living and of sharing this passion which animates our lives since four generations with French and foreign guests in constant increase who look essentially for a production respectful of its environment which is synonym of quality.
Today the company employes 4 people.
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SOME FIGURES SIGNIFICANT TO THE EVOLUTION OF PRODUCTION
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At our beginnings
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Harvest
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Metric tons
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1979/1980
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13 tons
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1980/1981
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30 tons
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1981/1982
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45 tons
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The last few years
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2001/2002
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340 tonnes
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2002/2003
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560 tonnes
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2003/2004
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350 tonnes
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