Querubi: The Rare French Olive Oil Worth Building Your Pantry Around
Querubi is produced from olives grown on a single estate in the south of France, harvested early and bottled in small quantities, resulting in a distinctly green, peppery oil that is as much about provenance as it is flavour. In an age when the supermarket shelf can make olive oil feel increasingly anonymous, Querubi offers a more considered alternative. Its organic extra virgin olive oil comes exclusively from Domaine de Querubi in Castelnou, in France’s Pyrénées-Orientales, where the same team oversees the trees, harvest and production rather than buying fruit from multiple growers.
The result is a premium olive oil with a very clear sense of place, and one that is particularly appealing if you like your food products with a little more personality.
Why Querubi Olive Oil Tastes So Unique
The character of Querubi begins with the olives themselves. Verdal, Poumal, Olivière, Picholine and Arbequine are grown exclusively on the estate, with the fruit harvested early while still green. It is a deliberate choice: early harvesting produces less oil, but captures a more vibrant, herbaceous character, with the varieties and timing of the harvest together giving Querubi its distinctive flavour.
The result is an oil that is vividly green and herbaceous, with a lively peppery finish, rather than the softer, more neutral character associated with later-harvest oils. Querubi also points to the naturally high polyphenol content of early-harvest green olives, while its organic farming approach is intended to encourage the production of these compounds.
There is an appealing sense of care behind the bottle, too. This is a single-estate oil, pressed exclusively from the estate’s own organically grown olives, in small batches and limited quantities. The team handles every stage from harvest through to bottling and packaging, as well as much of the transport, keeping the process remarkably close to the source.
And this is where Querubi earns its place in the kitchen. Pour it over ripe tomatoes, burrata or grilled vegetables, spoon it over simply cooked fish, or serve it with warm sourdough and sea salt. It works perfectly well in cooking, but its fresh, peppery character is best appreciated when the oil itself is allowed to take centre stage.
A Single-Estate Oil Made in Limited Quantities
There is something reassuring about knowing exactly where an olive oil comes from. Querubi is made exclusively from organically grown olives cultivated on its own estate, with production limited to what the trees yield each harvest rather than being supplemented with fruit from elsewhere.
The estate oversees the process from growing and harvesting through to bottling, giving the oil a clear sense of provenance and a level of traceability that is increasingly rare. Even the 500ml bottle feels considered, arriving in dark glass to help protect the oil from light, finished with a cork and wood stopper, wax seal and recycled-cardboard packaging. It is the sort of bottle you will want to leave on the kitchen counter rather than hide in a cupboard.
The Back Story
The story of Querubi began in 2005, when the estate was acquired with a vision to transform its previously unfarmed land into an organic olive estate. Three years later, 12,000 young olive trees were planted, including local varieties such as Verdal, Poumal, Olivière, Picholine and Arbequine.
The approach has remained deliberately low-intervention, with the estate avoiding synthetic fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides while using natural compost and solar-powered underground irrigation. It is a considered way of farming, and one that gives the oil a strong sense of place.
Where To Buy Querubi Olive Oil
The simplest way to get a bottle is to order directly from the estate, or through an independent retailer, Burford Garden Co.
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