Organic and Ecological Agriculture

• Respect the Environment                                                                  

• Use Natural Resources Responsibly                                                    

• No Chemical Products

Organic farming systems try to obtain maximum quality of goods while respecting the environment and preserving the soil structure and fertility.  This is possible using natural resources in a responsible way and without using any chemical products.  The Oro del Desierto olive groves are cultivated this way to produce fruit obtaining the best organic extra virgin olive oil.

Lineage and Production of Oro del Desierto

• All Olives come from the Family Estate

• Isolated from other Farms

• Olives Picked and Processed Same Day

Olive Farm "El Vicario"

Our unique Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil comes 100 % from olives from our family farm “El Vicario”.  Placed within a valley beside Sierra Filabres (Almería) and isolated from other local farmers we have 25.000 Olive Trees and, in lower quantity, organic grapes and almond trees. We grow four Olive varieties: Arbequina, Hojiblanca, Lechin and Picual.

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Production

Every season we wait until the moment of precise ripeness for every olive variety and then we start the harvesting. All the olives picked in one day are processed during the same day in order to keep the freshness and get the highest quality possible.

With thanks to Oro del Desierto

Olives and their Health Properties

Consumers are becoming aware of the health benefits of olive oil since anti-inflammatory, antioxidents, and  anti-microbial elements are present.  The Arthritis Foundation has published articles regarding the importance of extra virgin organic olive oil and its effect on inflammation.  Oleocanthal is a compound found in the olive oil of optimally harvested olives.  Studies have revealed that oleocanthal has a chemical profile similar to that of Ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (Chappell, 2015).  Newly pressed extra virgin olive oil contains oleocanthal whose pungency can induce a "tickling" in the throat (Chappell,2015).  This throat sensation is the hallmark of a premium EVOO.

Much has been written about polyphenols and antioxidants in olive oil.  The polyphenols are an important class of antioxidant present in olive oil.  Antioxidants increase the oil's shelf-life and more than 30 polyphenols have been identified in olives.  Polyphenol levels in olives depend on climate, variety, and harvest practices.  Because the polyphenol levels decrease during milling and storage it is essential to ensure an initial high polyphenol level.   Blended oils such as Oro del Desierto's "Coupage" normally have a high polyphenol level.  Oro del Desierto also produces  Picual which is an olive with a very high polyphenol count.  In addition, early harvesting results in oils with high polyphenol values because the polyphenol levels decrease as the olive fruit ripens.  The International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) has written that olive oil is rich in antioxidants which protect against free radicals and "against the formation of cancer."