Thursday September 12th, 2024 will go down in our farm’s history as a devastating day. A large fire storm destroyed around 400 Ha of forest and shrub lands surrounding our farm. Most importantly, all of our colleagues, guests, and all dogs and donkeys are safe, and most of the farm and its adjacent guesthouse, Domaine Madrona, are untouched by flames. Sadly, around 1.500 of our oldest olive trees have burned. Thanks to the nine hundred mobilized firefighters, eight water dumping planes, and numerous helicopters called in from all over France, the damage is contained. We know how lucky we have been, for things could have been so much worse.
Seeing the trees that we cared for, for so many years, engulfed in flames and slowly burning away is a traumatizing experience, triggering serious contemplation on the ferocity and fragility of nature. We will now go through the heart-breaking process of removing the old, damaged trees and replacing them with new ones. However sad this all is, it is all part of farming and the life we have chosen, and tomorrow we will be back out on the fields, watering the plants that have survived and making plans for replanting next spring.
In all this sadness there is some good news on the horizon. We will start the harvest of the trees that have not been affected by the fire in 3 weeks, and the harvest still looks promising. But the best thing is the realization that we have over 2.500 loyal customers out there who have been supporting us over the past 10 years by ordering and loving our olive oil. We are deeply grateful for your continued support, without which we would not have any future as an organic farm. Our profound thanks to you all.
With gratitude, The Querubi Team
