VIGNOLIS-COOPÉRATIVE DE NYONS

Who are we

Nowadays, the cooperative du Nyonsais is a cooperative specialized in wine production, olive oil with Nyons PDO extraction and black olives with Nyons PDO preparation. First of all, the cooperative was created in 1923 for olive oil extraction and black olives preparation. The wine activity was added later in 1930. The cooperative du Nyonsais has a membership of more than 1100 growers. The Cooperative collects and processes grapes from 1400 hectares of wines of Cru VINSOBRES, COTES DU RHONE Villages, COTES DU RHONE, Vins de Pays COTEAUX des BARONNIES, and olives from 600 hectares of olive groves to produce olive oil and black olives with Nyons PDO. The history of olive tree in the Baronnies results from an adaptation of a variety, the Tanche, to a specific terroir. In fact, in the Baronnies there’s a specific microclimate due to the Mont Ventoux which prevents large quantity of rainfall and the Lance Mountain which limits the wind and protects this area from the Mistral wind. The situation of the Baronnies at the north limit of the olive tree growing was also important in the selection of the specific variety because regularly the region suffers from important frost (2 or 3 by century) and the olive tree has to be adapted to these particular climatic conditions. This micro-climate is also important in the characteristics of black olives with Nyons PDO. The dryness of the atmosphere is responsible of the wrinkles of the skin of olives. The combination of the climate conditions, the soil (the land) and the olive variety all result in singular products. To these characteristics is added the know-how acquired over generations of olive growers in the growing and preparation of the olives. The olive oil and black Nyons olives got a Denomination of Origin in 1968, then a Controlled Denomination of Origin in 1994, and a Protected Denomination of Origin en 1997. Each time, Nyons was the first area in France to obtain these accreditations for its particular products. The cooperative of Nyonsais is the leading producer of PDO Nyons olives and olive oils; It gathers the product from around 110,000 olive groves out of a designated area of 260,000 Ha. The technical equipment of the cooperative is among the most modern and efficient in France and the Cooperative of Nyonsais is the only French mill to have an IFS accreditation (International Food Standard). The harvesting period for olives is between mid-November to the end of January. The capacity for receiving and processing olives is large (up to 50 tons per day).