INNOLIVA has almost 6 million olive trees on Portuguese soil
Madrid, July 22, 2016.
Portugal managed, for the first time, to produce 100,000 tons of olive oil last season, almost double what the historical average indicates. Although the figures are still far from those presented by the aces of liquid gold, Spain and Italy, the truth is that the Portuguese product allows self-sufficiency and exports to important markets, such as Brazil. INNOLIVA, a company based in Navarra and farms spread between Spain and Portugal, has more than 3,200 hectares of olive groves in the neighboring country, which is equivalent to about 5,900,000 olive trees and is precisely the type of crop chosen by this producer, the of espalier, which has had a key weight in the strong increase in results.
The Portuguese olive grove covers some 345,000 hectares, of which more than 150,000 are located in the southwest. In addition, a significant part of the olive groves that are revolutionizing the sector comes from the hands of Spanish businessmen. It is expected that, for the next campaign, 95,000 tons will be reached again.
INNOLIVA is the first producer of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in espalier and has six cultivation units, of which four are located in Portugal: Olivares de Carmo (727 hectares), Olivares de Fatima (842 ha), Olivares de Covadonga (1210) ha) and Olivares de Conceiçao (494).
The technique used in these fields is based on the cultivation of vines in espalier, which consist of planting olive trees in rows, with a separation distance of less than 2 meters, and which, after two or three years, It allows an olive grove formation in hedges. The design and organization of the olive grove allows it to be harvested mechanically, which facilitates a quick, clean and less aggressive collection for the tree than other older methods, being the only olive growing technology that allows to collect all the fruit of an olive grove in an optimum state of maturation, from the beginning of veraison until the final. In addition, a strict control of the production process is carried out through the use of specialized equipment for each crop unit and the monitoring and control of the farms.
It is a product in which quality prevails. The Extra Virgin acquires with INNOLIVA a ‘premium’ category that is only achieved thanks to the environment, the climate of origin and exceptional care, which give the oils excellent sensory and healthy qualities.
About Innoliva
The company, which has its head office in Pamplona (Spain), owns more than 5,000 hectares of irrigated olive groves, located in Spain and Portugal, where the Mediterranean climate gives the olive tree the ideal environment for the development and maturation of the fruit; and it favors the obtaining of Extra Virgin Olive Oils with excellent sensory qualities.
With its production system, they guarantee the integral traceability of the entire process: from the olive tree to the final customer.
They make their Extra Virgin Olive Oil cold in the shortest time possible from the entrance of the olive in the oil mill. And they take care of the oil already produced to maintain their excellent sensory and healthy qualities as long as possible.
