Interior of an oil cooperative in Jaén

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world, and Jaén is the province with the highest production. Every year in autumn and winter there is olive harvesting and olive oil production. Let’s look inside an olive oil cooperative in Jaén.

If you are looking for extra virgin olive oil direct from a cooperative, look no further, in El Cortijuelo de San Benito in Las Rozas de Madrid and in our online store, we offer you the best extra virgin olive oil in Spain: olive oil from Baena, Jaén, Sierra Magina, Sierra de Cazorla, oil Priego de Córdoba, Toledo … and Spanish premium brands: El Empiedro, Oro Bailen, Casas Hualdo, castillo de Canena, oro del desierto, etc..

For more information on the best extra virgin olive oils, you may be interested in: Selection of the best olive oils

Olive oil from Jaén to your home

The Cortijuelo de San Benito shop has two fundamental objectives; the first is to make known the culture of olive oil, where we explain the benefits and importance of always consuming extra virgin olive oil; and the second is to put in direct contact our olive oil production from Jaén with the final consumer.

Here in our shop, as we indicated at the beginning, we sell extra virgin olive oils from all over Spain, and from Jaén we sell from different parts of the province: Sierra Magina, Sierra Segura, Sierra de Cazorla, Porcuna (our own harvest) and Bailen.

In Jaén we work with different cooperatives. In Bailen with Oro Bailen, in Sierra Magina with Trujal de Magina, in Sierra de Cazorla with Bética Aceitera, and in Porcuna with the Cooperatives of San Benito and La Virgen de la Alharilla and with the Olior Porcuna mill.

The olive oil of Jaén that we bring are of the picual variety and of the arbequina variety.

Virgen de la Alharilla Cooperative

In order to give the consumer the best extra virgin olive oil and ensure the quality and seriousness of all the products we sell in our store, we visit and know in depth all the producers as those who work.

In February 2017 we visited the Andalusian cooperative of the Alharilla in Porcuna, Jaén. Although I did not ask permission to enter their facilities, I did so and I was able to take these photos. By the way, very clean facilities, ready for the next olive oil campaign. What better than a visit without announcing it, to know what really cooks there.

Below we show you the back of the cooperative of the Virgen de la Alharilla.

Photo 1. Cooperative of the Virgen de la Alharilla in Porcuna, Jaén.

Then, inside the cooperative, you can see in the distance the village of Porcuna de Jaén.

Photo 2. Views of the village of Porcuna in Jaén.

After seeing the facilities from outside we went into the engine room, the part I was most interested in inspecting.

In these photos shown below you can see different machines for the extraction of extra virgin olive oil, including decanters and blenders. The decanters is where the virgin olive oil is separated from the rest of the stone and pulp of the olive. The mixers where the virgin olive oil begins to be taken out of the crushed olive.

Photo 3. Interior of an olive oil cooperative

After visiting the olive oil cooperative we went to talk to the president and get to know him better in person. A serious president and committed to the quality of his extra virgin olive oil

Where to buy oil in Jaén

Like wine, the olive oil sector is copying its footsteps. Years ago, no one asked about the origin or variety of the olive oil they bought. In the last decade everything is evolving, we want to know about the origin, the campaign, the variety, the moment of elaboration…

At the same time, many specialised shops are emerging such as ours located in Las rozas in Madrid and online shops. Even in large supermarkets, we can find a great variety of oils.

In our shop you can also buy olive oils from Jaén (Sierra Magina, Porcuna and Sierra de Cazorla) and other parts of Spain (Córdoba, Valencia, Granada, Cádiz, Toledo, Aragón,…). We give you to try them and we give you a great deal of information about each oil, production area and cooperative.

Sale of olive oil online

The sale of olive oil as other products is being imposed on the Internet for its convenience, ease of price comparison and great competition. On the prices, if one studies them, one will see many times a great range between them even within the same product. Cost of maintenance of the website and advertising make many of those who are in first position have to pay, and more if they do for payment with google adwords.

Our shop in El Cortijuelo also gives you the opportunity to buy any of its products online, with the exception of fresh products, such as cheese, fresh olives, le che and sausages that we only sell in our physical store in Las Rozas de Madrid.