Gold Aristoleo Award 2025 to OLIOA from Jaen Spain
OLIOA is the first Spanish Olive Oil to be Aristoleo Certified
I was very happy to receive a letter of interest from a Spanish olive mill to participate in the Aristoleo Awards 2025 from Spain. SCA San Juan Villargordo is one of the biggest olive mills in Jaen, so when I received the email I became excited. This is what I have been waiting for.
They also agreed to be certified. We initiated the Aristoleo Certified in order to set out the best practices for the high phenolic EVOO industry. We realize high phenolic EVOO is not only a gastronomic delight tantalizing the taste buds and its complex aromas. It has now entered the wellness market as a food supplement. As such we need to align how we store and bottle this type of olive oil with food supplement regulations because people are depending on it to manage their health.
It’s up to all of us to ensure that we are delivering the highest concentrations of polyphenols in olive oil possible to the clients hands.
Spanish olive producers getting interested in high phenolic olive oil is a very important development because demand is outstripping supply. This specific company produces their OLIOA brand from Picual which is an excellent olive variety that produces high phenolic EVOO, and has a rich aromatic profile.
Aristoleo Awards 2025 welcomes OLIOA brand from Spain made from Picual variety olives
Brief history of SCA San Juan Villargordo
On 5th December 1956, thirteen farmers decided to rent a private mill for 30000 pesetas to try the milling of their olives altogether.
On their first season (1956/57) SCA San Juan Villargordo milled 606489 Kg of olives and produced 126880 Kg of olive oil. This is a 20,92% production. Initially, the society was formed by 43 members.
The olives reception capacity of the facilities is 400000 Kg per day, with a milling capacity of 500000 Kg per day and a cellar capacity of 3 million Kg of olive oil in stainless steel tanks of 50000 Kg.
“We have over 450 members in the cooperative. But last year we decided to create a high phenolic brand. From the beginning they were aware of the conditions to best achieve the highest phenolic content and they implemented them. The result was an exceptional high phenolic EVOO made from the Picual variety.”
OLIOA Joins the high phenolic category
“Our 100% natural early olive oil, until now known as “green oil,” has been classified as one of the best EVOOs in all of Spain, thanks to its quality and organoleptic properties.
That is why this oil deserved a name and a face. Olives harvested in October, at their optimum point of ripeness with a very limited annual production. Without chemical processes, we grind with the integral continuous system without emitting alpechin. In addition, we extract and decant the oil cold to preserve its qualities.
At the beginning of September, we gathered the 20 farmers to establish the working conditions in the field and on the harvesting date.
Early Harvest OLIOA Olive oil extraction
Following this meeting, we monitor the olive groves fortnightly (maturity index, dry fat yield, fruit size and health, and water status of the fruit and tree). This year, at the end of September, two farmers were unable to participate because their olive trees were not in the correct water status and the fruits were wrinkled.
The harvesting date was on two days: October 18 and 19, 2025. The farmers brought the olives before 12 noon, to avoid the central hours of heat. And the milling was done on the same day (18 and 19, respectively) [The original extraction date was 6 days earlier, but it rained].
The extracted oil was left to settle in a conical clarifier for 24 hours before being transferred to the oil cellar. The oil remained in the cellar (at 18ºC) for 5 days. It was then filtered and bottled.
The room where the bottled olive oil is stored is kept at 15ºC.
We do not add inert gas to the oil storage tank or the bottle yet because we do not have the infrastructure ready.
OLIOA is mono-varietal oil of Picual. A naturally High Phenolic EVOO with impressive gastronomic applications as well.
Spain was the country that conducted the research that led to the adoption of the health claim for polyphenols in olive oil EU 432/2012.
From the beginning in 2012 I was keen to work with Spanish Olive growers to implement the health claim in Spain as well. But before that could happen we had to prove this new category of EVOO with a health claim is a viable new category of EVOO which the world needs right now.
Dr Maria Isabel Covas spearheaded the research for the health claim for polyphenols in olive oil
We faced huge resistance from the olive oil industry in Greece. They were happy selling the best Greek olive oils in bulk, at very low prices. The EU 432/2012 health claim for polyphenols changed everything.
Greece took the lead in implementing the health claim regulation because of 3 reasons.
- The Greek varieties contain oleocanthal and oleacein as the main active biophenols in EVOO produced from Greek varieties
- Greeks have known of the health benefits of early harvest olive oil, because it was used as the main medicine when I was growing up in a village up north late 50s early 60s. The Greek economy became more of a tourist based. To please the tourists and their diet preferences, the traditional mediterranean diet and way of life was marginalized.
- The development of the NMR method of measuring accurately the polyphenols in olive oil boosted the research into specific health benefits of each variety of olive oil. This gave the long suffering Greek olive oil producers a chance to get a head start and found themselves way ahead of other MED region producers. But the demand is now outstripping the supply.
Dr. Prokopios Magiatis and Dr. Eleni Melliou at the their Univ. of Athens Laboratory. From this tiny lab great discoveries are being made
When the health claim came along it was a breath of fresh air for Greek olive growers who have been struggling to raise the aromatic profile of their olive oils so they can win some international acclaim.
The health claim with one full swoop brought the Greek high phenolic olive oils to the world attention and small brands in Greece suddenly received international acclaim. This was based on the numerous clinical studies conducted by Dr Prokopios Magiatis at the University of Athens, UC Davis in California. Univ. of Cordoba, University of Harvard and many others.
We now need the other MED region olive oil producers to embrace the health claim and produce much greater quantities of high phenolic EVOO.
This is happening and the Certification of these High Phenolic EVOOs means clients can buy with confidence
DISCLAIMER: If you are on medication or under medical care you must inform your health professional that you are adding high phenolic EVOO to your daily diet.
