Les Moulins Mahjoub

A magazine ad from 1905 shows Les Moulins Mahjoub olive oil being used in restaurants in Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Bruxelles, Marseille, Bordeaux and London. When Khomsi Mahjoub and his brother Mhamed took over the olive grove and oil press in the early 1930s, they continued the already famous commitment to quality.

Using organic farming and traditional production methods Les Moulin Mahjoub produces high quality olive oil, table olives, sundried tomatoes, capers, and marmalades. Moulins Mahjoub is located in Tebourba where the soil and surrounding mountains create a micro climate that naturally defends and nourishes the farm . For example, the valley is naturally free from attacks of the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) which can ruin the quality of table olives and cause a rise in the acidity of the oil. Only natural manures (bovine and ovine) are used as fertilizers and insecticides are banned.

The same standards apply to the food processing. No additives or artificial processes are used to lengthen conservation of the products.

For example, the Moulins Mahjoub sundried tomatoes are one of the very few in the world to be bottled in extra-virgin olive oil. For their olive oil they utilize the traditional methods of production: small quantities, reduced grinding time, crushing without heating, slow gentle pressure, natural fibre filters, and hand separation. The oil press, from the French colonial era, opens onto the storage area. The size of the storage basin is calculated so that the olives are never more than 30 cm. deep and remain cool. The harvested olives are processed as soon after harvest as possible, usually within 24 hours and never more than 48. Two large granite millstones crush 500 kg of Chetoui olives in 20 minutes. The rotation speed of the millstones and the form of the basin prevent heating above 30 degrees centigrade. The resulting olive paste is spread by hand into hand woven straw (Stipa

tenacissima) filters which are periodically replaced to avoid contaminating the taste. The filters are piled 40 high on two vertical hydraulic presses. The first group of presses yields the true first cold-pressed oil. The piston of the press gives a slow almost imperceptible pressure. The liquid runs out pure and fresh.