organic extra virgin olive oil
Al Alma del Olivo
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The project
Adopt {publicVariety} from the farm "{farmName}" in {cityfarm} ({countryFarm}) and receive your harvest in the form of {production} at home. The Farmer {farmerName} will take care of your adoption and take its picture. Also, you will be able to download the adoption certificate and, if you wish, plan your visit to the farm. You do not enter into any long-term commitment: once you receive your harvest and you enjoyed the experience, you may decide to renew and extend the adoption.
What do you adopt?
Adopt {publicVariety} that we cultivate under the Organic Farming regulations of the European Union since 2007.
During the process of adoption you can choose a name that we will engrave on a plaque and hang on your tree.
We have 3 varieties of olive trees on our farm: Picual, Hojiblanca and Cornicabra. The Cornicabra variety is part of the Protected Designation of Origin Monte de Toledo, it is an ancient variety from the region. The Hojiblanca and Picual varieties are more typical from southern Spain, but we figured they would adapt very well to the climatic conditions of our orchard, and they have. Having 3 varieties which ripen at different stages, pollination of the trees is much better. We harvest the olives mechanically and during the day, the oil from the the harvested olives is extracted the same day.
We are a family farm, with an olive grove cultivated organically since 2007 and running a project of flora and fauna biodiversity approved by the Global Nature Foundation. All the oil that we produce in our mill is made of olives from our own olive grove, both grove and mill are part of our farm.
Our regional olive variety is Cornicabra, certified by the PDO Montes de Toledo and for which, over the last few years, we obtained the award of the BEST ORGANIC CORNICABRA PDO MONTES DE TOLEDO OIL, in 2017, 2018 and again in 2019.
We also received recognition for other varieties, such as a mention for our Horniblanca in the Evooleum guide of the world’s top 100, and one for our Picual in the 2017 Evooleum guide.
The productive life of {publicVariety} is around 100 years. For as long as you want to keep it and we can continue taking care of it, you can renew your adoption year after year. If your {variety} dies, we will replace it with no additional cost and assuring the delivery of your harvest from other trees. Each {variety} bears an average of {masterUnitsMax}kg per season.
What will you receive?
Each season we will send you a box with:
1 x __Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Picual variety __(2,5 litre tin)
An intense oil, which gives a tingling sensation in the mouth, bitter and with very intense aromas where flavors of tomato, fresh herbs and apple are predominant.
1 x __Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Cornicabra variety__ (2,5 litre tin)
This oil is more bitter rather than spicy. Its aroma and flavour are intense, characterised by an aroma of freshly cut grass as well as notes of banana, herbs, or figs.
1 x __Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Hojiblanca variety__ (2,5 litre tin)
And finally, the oil that comes from the Hojiblanca variety is sweeter and less intense, it does not sting as much and is less bitter than the others. It has typical aroma of freshly cut grass with a scent and notes of peppermint, rosemary, thyme and wild plants.
The characteristics of the three oils are completely different in terms of aromas and flavors. This difference in flavour is not only due to the variety of the olives, but also to the early production process and the same day of harvest, carried out in October and early November, with cold extraction below 20 degrees. This way we ensure that all the aromas present in the olive are preserved in the oil.
The ideal way of storing the oil is in a dark container so that it is not exposed to direct light and to keep the canisters away from heat; light and heat are the two enemies of olive oil.
When will you receive it?
Please, check the deadline for participating in this project (deadline for adoption) below. As of this date the Farmer will start preparing the orders that are to be shipped.
You may select the delivery date of your box as suggested by the Farmer at check-out.
The olive harvest and oil production season is between October and December.
The harvesting of the olives for the production of high quality oils, which you will receive with this adoption, begins in October and ends in mid-November. The first variety to be picked is Picual. We continue with Hojiblanca and finally we pick the Cornicabra. From mid-November to mid-January we press and grind the olives, make your oil and prepare your order.
Why should you adopt?
* Learn who produces your food, how and where. Receive your food in a conscious manner.
* Buy directly from the farmer. Help to generate wealth and better jobs in the rural areas.
* Plan ahead and enable the Farmer to produce on demand. This way we can avoid overproduction and fight food waste.
* Reward Farmers who make an effort to use environmentally-friendly packaging and cultivation techniques.
How does it work?
Meet the Farmers
Adopt and plan your harvest
Let the Farmer and nature work
Receive your harvest at home
Clara Madrid Gil
We don't have a long family history standing behind this project, but that hasn't been an obstacle to realizing this dream. In 2006, our adventure began in the olive sector, my father, Tomás Madrid, planted 200 hectares of olive groves. At that time, I, Clara Madrid, worked as a pharmacist and I helped my father in the orchard on weekends. Little by little I realized that I belonged there and that this life was for me, so I quit my job and devoted myself entirely to the olive grove.
I proposed to my father to change the management of the land, to move from traditional agriculture to a sustainable and ecological agriculture, committed to the environment and the local fauna and flora. This approach was not compatible with his initial idea and with his ideas of the rural areaand he rejected my ideas. But after listening to my arguments, he realised that we had to try. From that moment on, we have been working in the same direction and with the same goals.
We started with the certification of organic agriculture, then we went a step further by participating in a European project with Global Nature which consists of carrying out a series of measures to promote the biodiversity of flora and fauna: such as natural ponds for animals, planting of cereals, stone heaps, plant cover, aromatic plants for pollinators and other measures.
The next step is to publicize our project so that all those who share this concern for the environment can benefit from and participate in pesticide-free and residue-free food. We want you to receive a 100% pure olive juice, nothing more.
I am an entrepreneurial young woman completely dedicated to my project, which for me is the most beautiful in the world. It is not easy for a woman to be at the head of a rural business, in a sector where men and traditions predominate, but thanks to the support of my father I can carry out my new projects.
From my point of view, my job must evolve, we must be more and more qualified, trained and become an ally of technology, always aiming for the sustainability of the field. The presence of women in this sector is increasingly noticeable, especially in senior positions, bringing new ideas and a different vision in a sector where the male criterion was favored.
Clara Madrid Gil
"For me, being a Farmer means being able to interact with people who share my commitment, to offer them a product that comes from a project of environmental sustainability and biodiversity and to reach the final consumer without intermediaries."
Al Alma del Olivo
Al Alma del Olivo
The El Torrao orchard is located in the municipality of La Guardia, in the region of Toledo. The year 2006 was the starting point of this family project. We have an area of 400 ha, 200 ha of which is occupied by scrub and its representative vegetation (broom, thyme, rosemary, etc.) which mixes with the olive grove.
The origin of our land starts with the purchase of many small plots and then the unification of these plots. So, at that time, these small farmers' lands were agricultural lands, many of them abandoned because of their remoteness. So we decided to reclaim it and put it into production.
The olive grove is young, with a traditional layout of 8x8, mostly new plants. It currently has 35,000 olive trees of 3 varieties, Cornicabra, Picual and Hojiblanca, all of which are organically cultivated. The Cornicabra variety is part of the Montes de Toledo Denomination of Origin.
We also plant various cereals for the sole purpose of feeding the rabbits, hares and partridges that live on these lands.
The mill was inaugurated in 2016, and before putting it into service, we used to bring the olives to the town's cooperative. As it was impossible to separate our oil from the other producers, and to choose the date of elaboration, we decided to put our own mill into operation. These facilities are composed of the oil mill, an elaboration area, a packing and storage area. With this equipment, we have managed to complete the circle, giving work to the local population and not subcontracting any process.
We are in a rural area, which makes its living from agriculture in general: an area surrounded by traditional olive groves, which are becoming less and less productive. The population is quite old and young people are looking for work in the city, with more comfortable working conditions, which leads them to abandon the villages. With our project, we offer stable and temporary jobs to help the local economy.
The farm's water comes from artisan and traditional wells that used to exist on the farm, they are shallow wells but with a very wide border. Irrigation is carried out by drip irrigation, and the amount of water is regulated according to the rainfall we have on the farm each year. To improve this system, and to minimize the consumption of electrical energy, we have installed solar panels.
We have always been concerned about the environment and since our beginnings in this field in 2007, we have opted for organic farming. All the work we do is always with the aim of taking care of our environment and our land, so we clean the grass and try to maintain a vegetative cover all year round, favoring the refuge of the animals. We have planted different types of flowers of different colors on the edges of the olive grove, to attract different insects, as they are our allies against pests. We have natural barriers of white broom to protect us from non-organic crops. The natural ponds on the farm become an oasis for animals in the summer.
When we started in 2007, we were 3 people, and in 2016 with the inauguration of the mill, we increased the workforce to 6, all working full time. The salary received is higher than standard set by the collective labor convention, with good working conditions, which include an occupational risk prevention system, quality systems, adequate work clothes, mileage allowance and a bonus at the end of the season.
During harvest time, to ensure that all fieldwork is done on time, we expand the team. We always contract locals as they know the farm, the work system and the philosophy of the company.
With regard to residues, everything is transformed and/or reused within the same operation. During the pruning process, all the firewood obtained is used for the farm's fireplaces. The rest is chopped up and incorporated into the plant cover, in order to enrich the soil naturally.
During the production of the oil, we take the leaves from the process to a local farmer to feed his sheep. With the water obtained from the process, we watered the fruit trees in the orchard and sell the pomace to obtain pomace oil. But now we have developed a composting project where we compost the leaves, the water resulting from the process and the pomace, obtaining compost that we use as a natural organic fertilizer, enriching the soil structure.
On the other hand, we recover the olive pits in order to use them as fuel to heat the mill's installations.
Technical information
Address
Al Alma del Olivo, La Guardia, ES
Location