We’d like to introduce you to Almazaras de la Subbética

Where is it located, what is the climate like, what kind of olive grove is it, what variety of olives does it produce, how are they harvested…

And from these characteristics, the product they produce: the finest extra virgin olive oils, renowned worldwide—both their single-varietal oils and their “Coupage”—with a flavor so distinctive that it is almost impossible to replicate or find elsewhere.

I’m from La Luisiana, and I live in Écija (16 km from my hometown), a town in the province of Seville, located between Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz, and
Huelva—the heart of Andalusia and the Sevillian countryside. I grew up in my homeland, surrounded by peaceful, arid landscapes, mostly planted with wheat and sunflowers, and of course, olive trees—many olive trees—and olive oil mills.

Ever since I was a child, my family has been fortunate enough—as have all of us who live here—to always buy extra virgin olive oil from small producers in their small mills. We’re surrounded by them, and with their small bottling facilities, they offer us the best products, straight from the producer to the table. I always thought everyone enjoyed olive oil the same way we do, but it seems that’s not the case—it’s not the same.

Most of the world’s olive oil producers are located within a 150-kilometer radius of us, and we’re neighbors with Jaén, another of the world’s major producers.

Friends from the United States would visit me, and we’d go to any bar to have a typical breakfast—some toast or “molletes” with olive oil and a little ham—and they’d say to me… “José, I can’t find olive oil like this in my country.” I buy extra virgin olive oil in the United States, but it doesn’t taste the same.

And yes, buying directly from the producer is not the same as buying from large bottling companies or supermarkets, where the supply chain is longer and more indirect, and where the care isn’t exactly that of the farmer, but rather that of the industry—which is also necessary to bring olive oil to everyone, though not with the same care as we provide.

That is precisely our mission and purpose: to let you buy and enjoy the same oil we have here in the region, directly from the farmer and their mill, with all its flavor, as if you were living in the heart of Andalusia.

Where I live, in the Seville countryside, we find mostly intensive and super-intensive olive groves, dominated by the Arbequina and Picual varieties. Olive cultivation has been a tradition here since Roman times—a topic we’ll save for another article—and Écija and its neighboring towns are leaders in olive oil production in the province of Seville.

In our search for products, while visiting local producers and neighbors, we came across one of the world’s leading producers of high-quality olive oil, Almazaras de la Subbética, located in neighboring Córdoba, in the Sierra de la Subbética. The region, the type of olive grove, the variety of olives, and the expertise of the producers combine to give the oil a flavor that is as distinctive as it is rare.

Priego de Córdoba and Almazara de la Subbética

Priego de Córdoba is located in the Sierra de la Subbética Natural Park, characterized by the challenges posed by its rugged terrain, where traditional olive groves predominate.

Almazaras de la Subbética has managed to overcome these obstacles through the modernization of cultivation techniques and the use of modern, small-scale machinery, and has successfully adapted tradition and technology to meet the high quality standards demanded by the most discerning consumers.

Among the olive varieties that are pressed, 60% of total oil production comes from Picuda olives, 25% from Hojiblanca olives, and the remainder from Picual and Arbequina olives. The Picuda olive is a native variety of Spain, specific to the Subbética region of Córdoba, it is one of the most prestigious coupages in the area.

Almazaras de la Subbética has received numerous awards and accolades, not only for the quality of its oils, but also for its long-standing commitment, innovation, and respect for the environment.