Quality, the key to competitiveness
Following a short harvest last season we are glad to see the figures showing what we have already handled in this season. Although unconfirmed, the figures already look much more positive than in previous years, as can be seen from the following table.
With these figures, we expect oil sales to recover, especially in the export market, and for prices not to fall to the levels that make the business unviable, especially in our quality segment. While quality is the key to competitiveness it leads to high production costs.
Just looking at the five cooperatives from the DCOOP Group, registered in the PDO Montoro-Adamuz (Coop. Agr. Ntra Madre del Sol, Olivarera de Montoro, Coop. Oliv. Ntra. Sra. de la Merced, Olivarera del Guadiato and Coop. del Campo San Antonio Abad) we have figures of more than 80,000 tonnes of olives. This represents more than 200,000 daily wages in the harvest and an income of more than 30 million euros.
Of these figures, around 50% corresponds to the activity of the Coop. Agr. Ntra. Madre del Sol which has also obtained high quality olive fruit of an intense green, highly valued in the market due to their good stability and high content of polyphenols.
All of this has been possible thanks to the improvements made over the last two years in the reception and milling of the olives from our production cooperatives.
The quality of the oil depends not only on the quality of the fruit, but also on caring for it throughout the entire oil production process. Mishandling the olive in the field or in the mill may damage it and lower the category of the oil. Therefore, the farmer and the oil mill are key to the quality of extra virgin olive oil.
At PDO Montoro-Adamuz, therefore, one of our functions is to strengthen the structure of our cooperatives, focusing on the control and improvement of the production quality. However, another of our commitments must be promotion, in order to enhance the value of the product, guaranteeing its origin and quality.
Only with viable and structured companies will we be able to increase the value of our product, which will in turn open the door to export markets (a path that we have already begun to take and that is providing great results).