​SPANISH OLIVE PRODUCTION FROM ANDALUCIA

Spain is undoubtedly the world leader when it comes to olive production. This country dedicates 2.4 million hectares of land to this valuable crop. Italy and Greece are the other two main producers of olives, with over 1.4 million hectares and more than 700,000 respectively. In Spain, there are more than 300 million olive trees. They produce between 600,000 and 1 million metric tons of olive oil per year. One million metric tons is the equivalent of about one billion litres of olive oil. Spain exports only 20 per cent of their production. That means that on average, a Spaniard consumes about 17 litres of olive oil a year. In contrast, someone in Great Britain or the US will consume just one litre on average.

In ancient times it was believed that olive trees had to be planted near the sea in order to thrive, but modern agricultural techniques have overcome such barriers. One thing hasn’t changed, however, and that is the olive tree’s love of tough, rocky soil.
It is well known that olive trees were cultivated in the south of Spain during Roman times. Numerous artifacts are testimony to the olive’s importance throughout the known history of the Iberian Peninsula – and these include old stone olive presses and other paraphernalia used to process this precious crop.

The Andalucian Olive Company located in the Municipality of Almeria, produces some of the finest quality olives in the whole of Spain. We have been associated with olive farming and the production of extra virgin olive oil for many years picking all our olives by hand, using no pesticides and always with the ultimate respect for the environment.
The Andalucian Olive Company is a family run business with a deep passion for olives and their many health benefits, what started as a passion producing olive oil for family, friends, and neighbours is now a truly global business, selling our olive products including olive leaf, olive soap and of course our exceptionally high quality extra virgin olive oil to many countries around the world. Since the beginning our aim was always to create something organic and sustainable, by promoting the importance of sustainable agriculture, by protecting the environment we can make sure future generations will also be able to enjoy the benefits of nature that we do today.