The company today called Huilerie Emile Noël, located in Pont-St-Esprit – in olive country, between Provence and the Cévennes – has since 1920 been renowned as a miller of quality oils.
Originally the company only produced olive oil, from fruit brought to the mill by local farmers. But following the big freeze of 1956, which destroyed 90% of France's olive trees, Emile Noël began crushing locally-grown seeds such as sunflower and rapeseed.
The resulting oils were first sold locally in bulk. Then, in 1966, the company Huilerie Emile Noël was founded; it bottled these virgin oils, and sold them in what at the time were called maisons de régime (dietetic shops).
In 1972 Huilerie Emile Noël again stood out from the crowd, becoming the first oil producer in France to crush organic seeds.
In 1998 a new 6,000 sq.m. building was constructed – a far-reaching change that resulted in a full reorganisation of the company's facilities and teams: a new stainless-steel tank room was installed, the laboratory was extended, and a purchasing department and logistics areas were created.
Today Huilerie Emile Noël is an independent, family-owned SME which leads the French market in its specialist area – producing virgin, first cold-pressed organic oils.