Traditional walnut oil production
Keeping tradition alive
La Tourangelle is proud to perpetuate the ancestral tradition that originated in the Loire Valley in France. Since the Middle Ages, the "Maître Moulinier" has mastered the art of toasting and pressing walnut kernels to make delicious oils.
La Tourangelle is one of the few oil mills to preserve this living heritage in Saumur, France and since 2002 in Woodland, California. We are a family business and our goal is to bring you the best that nature has to offer, the purest quintessence of each fruit.
La Tourangelle was built on the values of authenticity, heritage and innovation. Our traditional production method, unchanged since 1867, allows us to preserve all the flavours and benefits of dried fruit.
Selecting the best fruits
The nuts are harvested in the autumn when they have reached maturity after having enjoyed the sun all summer. To produce our century-old oil, we use French and Californian nuts. Only the highest quality nuts are selected.
Some of the French walnuts are those of the people of Saumur. Because, when winter arrives, you have the possibility to bring your private harvest directly to the factory.
Shelled walnuts
After harvesting, the nuts are washed, sorted, dried and shelled. The walnut kernels are then crushed and poured into cast iron pans (called frying pans) for toasting.
Hand toasted walnuts
The cast-iron pots used to toast the nuts are as essential to the process as the traditional skills. If you simply press a fresh nut, the oil you get lacks character. But when the nuts are perfectly toasted, their flavour is brought out in the oil.
100 year old hydraulic press
We use century-old hydraulic presses to slowly and mechanically extract the best from the nuts. Making an exceptional oil is both a scientific and artistic skill. Every detail counts, from the time of harvest, the careful selection of the fruit, to the pressing technique. We are proud to offer you the best.
Filtration
Once the press has done its job, we obtain a beautiful and delicious oil that we need to filter to remove any impurities. For this we use cotton filters to keep the process natural from start to finish.
The walnut cake
What is left once the nuts have been pressed and dried?
We call it cake, which is nut meal. This cake is used to make feed preparations for livestock. Nothing is lost in the nuts!