Its origin could be the eastern Mediterranean, but most probably it originated in Greece. Stone tablets found dating back to 2500 BC from the court of King Minos of Crete make reference to this plant.
The olive tree was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Phoenicians and the Greeks. Olive cultivation was expanded considerably by the Romans, who also improved the techniques of oil production. Olive oil from Hispania was highly regarded by the inhabitants of Old Rome, as well as by the rest of the Roman Empire, that considered it of superior quality. Later, the Arabs continued perfecting the technique of olive oil production.
The importance of the Arab influence is evident by the fact that the Spanish word for oil - aceite - comes from the Arabic - al-zat-, or olive juice. As a result of a stable, thousand-year-old tradition, today Spain is the major producer and exporter of olive oil in the world.
Nevertheless, until a few years ago, Spanish olive oil was relatively unknown since almost all of it was sold by bulk and packaged outside the country.
Today, gradually, oil producers, and especially those of the best quality oil, are packaging and placing their own names on the bottles, just as the producers of California wine are now selling more and more of their wine as their own product instead of selling the grapes. This is increasing considerably the knowledge and admiration for Spanish olive oil as an exceptional product.
Finally, the benefits of olive oil should be mentioned: through its oleic acid, it helps to reduce the level of bad cholesterol and increase the level of good cholesterol, it has a high contribution of Vitamin E, which prevents arteriosclerosis, and helps to reduce blood pressure, thereby helping to prevent thrombosis.
Spain is the world’s biggest producer and exporter of olive oil. The success of Spanish olive oil is due to the nation’s ability to produce over 260 olive varieties, whilst holding true to traditional cultivation and pressing techniques. In fact, because of the country’s climate, soil and growing techniques, Spanish olive oils have a high degree of natural protection against rancidity and the damaging effects of transport.
Even our competitors agree Spain has the best olive oil you can buy. Of the average 250,000 tones of olive oil Spain export annually, the number one customer for bulk produce is Italy. In fact, Madrid is the home of the International Olive Oil Council.
Australia and New Zealand are no strangers to the quality of Spanish olive oil either, being two of the major importers of bottled products, along with countries like France and Brazil.
