Les Moulins Mahjoub

Les Moulins Mahjoub

In the fertile Mejerda Valley of Tunisia—where Romans once harvested grain in such abundance the region was called the “breadbasket of the Empire”—the Mahjoub family has been farming the same land since the 18th century. For four generations, they have proven that the old ways are not just nostalgic, they’re revolutionary.

Conservation isn’t separate from farming here—it’s foundational. They keep bees as bioindicators, so sensitive to environmental changes they serve as the farm’s alarm system. Ghazi Mahjoub, agricultural manager, rehabilitates injured raptors and migratory birds (80 so far, the only one in Tunisia doing this work), transforming the farm into a sanctuary where biodiversity thrives. The entire town is employed during olive harvest: older women climb the trees, younger women gather fruit, singing traditional Berber songs while they work.

This is regenerative agriculture as it should be: a thriving, closed-loop ecosystem where nothing is wasted and everything gives back. The “olive water” from oil pressing irrigates the groves. Olive pulp becomes compost. Nitrogen-rich fava beans are tilled into the soil between harvests—never leaving earth bare under the Tunisian sun. Cow manure is collected from neighbors “cow manure is our gold,” says Ghazi Mahjoub. Fig and mulberry trees provide shade that captures precious humidity while their fruit becomes jam. Artichoke stems, leaves, hearts—all harvested, preserved, or composted and returned to the fields.

Their ancient stone mill dates to Carthaginian times. Chetoui olives are crushed by granite millstones in a genuine first cold pressing, the paste layered between natural fiber mats in a vertical press, then decanted a la feuille—by hand, drop by precious drop.

Their table olives are made without lye, citrus, or shortcuts. Just salt and time. The green Meski olives are hand-incised (never crushed) to preserve the meaty flesh during the nine-month natural brine cure. The tiny, dark violet Sahli olives spend those same months developing their rich, buttery character. Both native Tunisian varieties, both worth the wait.

Meet more producers!