Olive harvest begins on island

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, has met with the olive growing sector of the island to coordinate the start of the olive oil production campaign. A campaign that begins now with the hojiblanca and picual olives, and that will end at the end of September and the beginning of October with the verdial.
 
The counselor, David de Vera, met with more than twenty representatives of the sector in the Agricultural Cooperative of Gran Tarajal, with the aim of informing about the oil mill service provided from the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, which begins the reception of olives today, Monday, July 25.

De Vera recalled that any farmer can request this service, which is provided at the Pozo Negro Experimental Farm, by appointment.

The counselor of the area, David de Vera, also thanks the effort of the olive growers of Fuerteventura who maintain year after year the excellence of a booming product in Fuerteventura. A product that is also increasingly recognized outside the Island. In this sense, it is important to strengthen the sector and advance in its professionalization with training and other actions.

400,000 Kilos in the previous season
In the previous harvesting season, around 200 producers from all over the island produced almost 13,000 liters of oil in the oil mill of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura. It was a particularly productive campaign, in which some 400,000 kilograms were collected on the island, processing twice as many kilograms of olives as in the 2020 campaign. An especially good harvest of great quality.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

4,500 liters of majorero oil produced this 2022 in the Cabildo oil mill.

The oil mill of theCabildo de Fuerteventurahas produced around 4,500 liters of oil in the 2022 campaign. In total, almost 40,000 kilos of olives were delivered by producers and milled in the facilities located in the Experimental Agricultural Farm of Pozo Negro.

 

It is, in the words of the president of the insular institution, Sergio Lloret, "a joint effort, between the administration and the producers, which not only serves to strengthen our primary sector, but also values the excellence of Fuerteventura in the harvest and elaboration of first level food products, capable of giving the island its own gastronomic identity that we must strengthen and consolidate as one of our strengths to the time to achieve the economic diversification of the island, as well as its recognition, also in the tourist field, for values that go beyond our sun and our beaches"

"The oil of Fuerteventura is an increasingly recognized majorero product outside the island, so we must continue to strengthen the sector and advance in its professionalization," added the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, David De Vera.

As detailed by the head of the Area, the Ministry will now proceed to deliver the product, always following the hygienic-sanitary conditions for the correct manufacture of olive oil.

Both President Lloret and De Vera wanted to "thank the effort" of the producers of Fuerteventura, who "maintain year after year the excellence of majorero oil". Especially in a campaign like 2022, in which there has been a lower olive harvest than in other years, due to Weather conditions due to high temperatures in flowering.

These climatic conditions have caused many farms not to pick olives, a situation that has not only been experienced in Fuerteventura, but throughout the Canary Islands and the peninsula. In some provinces such as Jaén, there has been a decrease of 60% of the harvest.
The olive harvest campaign begins in August, with arbequina, hojiblanca and picual olives, and ends with verdial olives at the end of September and beginning of October.

[Joy Division]

Amazing achievement against the climatic conditions. You have to admire the people involved in this industry, especially on the island where the wind must be the major obstacle.
Does anyone know where you can purchase the oil and if there are any supermarkets that stock the oil?

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

The Guide to Oils of Fuerteventura includes the registered trademarks of the island, producers and points of sale.

The Cabildo de Fuerteventura, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, has published the Guide of Oils of Fuerteventura to value the quality of this local product, recognized inside and outside the Canary Islands. The publication includes a catalog with the information of fourteen brands of oils made on the island, which allows to keep the population informed about their points of sale, location and different products offered to the consumer.

 

As with the Fuerteventura Cheese Guide, also published this year, the oil guide updates all the information of the producers who are currently active. This promotes all possible instruments for the dissemination and marketing of a product that is on the rise on the island.

As explained by the president of the Cabildo, Sergio Lloret López, "the production of oil in Fuerteventura is consolidating and finding its place. Its boom has helped a lot not only to push and reactivate the primary sector, but also to recover the landscape with cultivated land. Therefore, from the Cabildo we will continue to promote as many actions as help strengthen the majorero field, in this case with the production of an oil that is continuously receiving awards in different contests ".

For the first vice president of the island corporation, Lola García, "olive oil is a highly valued product in recent years, thanks to the efforts of olive growers and entities such as the Association of Olive Oil Producers of Fuerteventura (Olivafuer), which have shown that Fuerteventura has all the requirements to produce the best oil in the Canary Islands."

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, David de Vera, said that "this is a work carried out in coordination with olive growers, as well as the Rural Development Group GDR Maxorata. This is another step of those we have taken to consolidate local elaborations through the Product of Fuerteventura brand. An Oil Guide where the main producers of Fuerteventura are reflected, all the direct information of the type of olive variety, the different oils that are produced, their qualities and the eight points of sale available to all those people who choose a quality product such as majorero oil ".

De Vera also thanked the work of Olivafuer, "since the push and boom of this product on the island has been thanks to the efforts of producers, producers and also this type of associative entities."

On behalf of Olivafuer, the producer Pepe Santana thanked the Cabildo for the support received to promote a product that is being awarded by the Canarian Institute of Agrifood Quality (ICCA) and other entities. Santana also hopes that next year's production prospects will be better, since in 2022 the Weather conditions have not allowed a correct flowering of the olive.

The Guide to Oils of Fuerteventura can be consulted on the website of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura (http://www.cabildofuer.es/cabildo/areas-tematicas/agricultura-ganaderia-y-pesca/) Like that of cheese, it will be available in Spanish and English, in order to get the information to residents and all those who visit the island.

As contents, it also includes a review of the history of olive cultivation and oil production in Fuerteventura. The olive arrived on the island from the hand of the European colonizers in the early fifteenth century. The variety introduced at that time was the verdial, which has remained along with others that were arriving progressively.

The adaptation of the olive sector has been exceptional in Fuerteventura, due to the prolonged hours of sunshine and its characteristics for cultivation. The main varieties on the island have been picual, arbequina, hojiblanca and verdial. To a lesser extent, also, the cornicabra, gordal and manzanilla.

The olive trees were used as windbreaks, especially in the gavias. For this reason, its plantation was extended to different areas of the island. Its importance has been preserved in the toponymy of the island over the years. Some examples are El Aceitún (Tuineje), el Aceitunal (Puerto del Rosario), Morro del Aceituno (Betancuria) or the name of the municipality of La Oliva.

The publication also reports on the Association of Olive Oil Producers of Fuerteventura, Olivafuer. It currently includes more than 200 farmers. This association seeks to convert the Canarian verdial into a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which would allow it to acquire a seal of quality and differentiate itself from the rest of olive oil producers nationally and internationally.
The Cabildo de Fuerteventura continues to promote the consumption of local products with the brand Producto de Fuerteventura as a single image and seal of quality. This badge is presented to national and international professionals in the gastronomic sector.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

Teguerey, from Fuerteventura, reaffirms itself as the best extra virgin olive oil in the Canary Islands.

The hojiblanca-picual oil, of the Teguerey brand, from Fuerteventura, made by Luis Hernández Santana, has been chosen as the best production in the Canary Islands in the Official Contest of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Agrocanarias 2023. Teguerey revalidates title in this seventh edition of the contest after obtaining in 2022 the prize for the best oil of the islands.

 
The headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands in Santa Cruz de Tenerife hosted this morning, Wednesday, February 1, the reading of the jury's decision by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Regional Executive, Alicia Vanoostende, and the director of the ICCA, Basilio Pérez, who highlighted "the quality of the productions presented and the effort made by producers to produce excellent productions" . The total 16 oil samples have attended the contest, belonging to 11 oil mills in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Fuerteventura and El Hierro.
By categories, the silver medal went to the Oleoteide brand, of the Arbequina/Hojiblanca variety, from Tenerife, made by Cumbres de Abona Sociedad Cooperativa. The gold medal went to the brand La Palma Oliva, of the picual/arbequina variety, from the island of La Palma, made by Juan José Santos. Like the silver, the great gold medal was obtained by the Oleoteide brand, with the arbequina/picual variety. In the section of special distinctions, the distinction of best image and presentation went to the brand Caserío de Temisas, Turismo Rural de Agüimes S. L., of Gran Canaria, prepared by the City Council of the Villa de Agüimes.
The regional head of the area, Alicia Vanoostende, stressed during her speech that "from the Government of the Canary Islands we continue to bet on the cultivation of the olive tree, not only with the celebration of these awards, which promote the product, also with the dissemination that we carry out outside the Canary Islands in fairs such as Madrid Gourmet or the extra virgin olive oil fair held in March in Madrid and which we will attend. Support is not limited exclusively to promotion, but also to cultivation, such as the subsidies provided for by POSEI, with specific aid for the area of olive cultivation." In this line, he pointed out that "we will continue working in this way, both with oil and with other local products, enhancing the figures of quality; Awards have been given on four islands, which shows that we have production and quality."
The director of the ICCA, Basilio Pérez, pointed out that "the Official Contest of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Agrocanarias 2023 aims to distinguish the productions elaborated, packaged and bottled in our autonomous community and aims to publicize their organoleptic properties and contribute to their promotion, because it is essential that the consumer knows that he is buying quality productions, singular and differentiated". "I congratulate all the participants who with their effort and daily work contribute to this contest continues to grow exponentially," he said.
 
Area under cultivation
As transferred by the Government of the Canary Islands, olive oil in the Canary Islands has suffered an unprecedented boom in recent years, going from 100 to 600 hectares in less than a decade. Gran Canaria is the island where the crop occupies a greater extension with 232.10 hectares, followed by Fuerteventura with 165.50, and Tenerife with 108.10. In a more testimonial way, a total of 16.20 hectares in Lanzarote; 12.40 in La Palma; 3.30 in El Hierro; and 1.20 in La Gomera.
Based on these areas, a production of 1,475.20 tons of olives is recorded, of which 613.10 correspond to Gran Canaria; 470.8 to Fuerteventura; and 291.70 to Tenerife. Of this regional production, 250.10 tons are table olives and 1,225.20 corresponds to olives for milling. According to data from the Annual Survey, 165.07 tons of extra virgin olive oil have been produced, where Fuerteventura has obtained 62.07; Gran Canaria 50.42; and Tenerife 42.34.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Radio Sintonia:

Teguerey, from Fuerteventura, reaffirms itself as the best extra virgin olive oil in the Canary Islands.

The hojiblanca-picual oil, of the Teguerey brand, from Fuerteventura, made by Luis Hernández Santana, has been chosen as the best production in the Canary Islands in the Official Contest of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Agrocanarias 2023. Teguerey revalidates title in this seventh edition of the contest after obtaining in 2022 the prize for the best oil of the islands.

 
The headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands in Santa Cruz de Tenerife hosted this morning, Wednesday, February 1, the reading of the jury's decision by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Regional Executive, Alicia Vanoostende, and the director of the ICCA, Basilio Pérez, who highlighted "the quality of the productions presented and the effort made by producers to produce excellent productions" . The total 16 oil samples have attended the contest, belonging to 11 oil mills in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Fuerteventura and El Hierro.
By categories, the silver medal went to the Oleoteide brand, of the Arbequina/Hojiblanca variety, from Tenerife, made by Cumbres de Abona Sociedad Cooperativa. The gold medal went to the brand La Palma Oliva, of the picual/arbequina variety, from the island of La Palma, made by Juan José Santos. Like the silver, the great gold medal was obtained by the Oleoteide brand, with the arbequina/picual variety. In the section of special distinctions, the distinction of best image and presentation went to the brand Caserío de Temisas, Turismo Rural de Agüimes S. L., of Gran Canaria, prepared by the City Council of the Villa de Agüimes.
The regional head of the area, Alicia Vanoostende, stressed during her speech that "from the Government of the Canary Islands we continue to bet on the cultivation of the olive tree, not only with the celebration of these awards, which promote the product, also with the dissemination that we carry out outside the Canary Islands in fairs such as Madrid Gourmet or the extra virgin olive oil fair held in March in Madrid and which we will attend. Support is not limited exclusively to promotion, but also to cultivation, such as the subsidies provided for by POSEI, with specific aid for the area of olive cultivation." In this line, he pointed out that "we will continue working in this way, both with oil and with other local products, enhancing the figures of quality; Awards have been given on four islands, which shows that we have production and quality."
The director of the ICCA, Basilio Pérez, pointed out that "the Official Contest of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Agrocanarias 2023 aims to distinguish the productions elaborated, packaged and bottled in our autonomous community and aims to publicize their organoleptic properties and contribute to their promotion, because it is essential that the consumer knows that he is buying quality productions, singular and differentiated". "I congratulate all the participants who with their effort and daily work contribute to this contest continues to grow exponentially," he said.
 
Area under cultivation
As transferred by the Government of the Canary Islands, olive oil in the Canary Islands has suffered an unprecedented boom in recent years, going from 100 to 600 hectares in less than a decade. Gran Canaria is the island where the crop occupies a greater extension with 232.10 hectares, followed by Fuerteventura with 165.50, and Tenerife with 108.10. In a more testimonial way, a total of 16.20 hectares in Lanzarote; 12.40 in La Palma; 3.30 in El Hierro; and 1.20 in La Gomera.
Based on these areas, a production of 1,475.20 tons of olives is recorded, of which 613.10 correspond to Gran Canaria; 470.8 to Fuerteventura; and 291.70 to Tenerife. Of this regional production, 250.10 tons are table olives and 1,225.20 corresponds to olives for milling. According to data from the Annual Survey, 165.07 tons of extra virgin olive oil have been produced, where Fuerteventura has obtained 62.07; Gran Canaria 50.42; and Tenerife 42.34.

[Joy Division]

Great philosophy and an amazing achievement. I still haven’t seen any of the FV Olive Oil in any supermarkets and would be interested if anyone knows if they stock it to support the industry.
If it’s anything like Lanzarote Wine then it will be too expensive for Joe Public. Wines from Lanzarote have gone up by an eye watering 40% compared to last year and they are now exporting to Japan would you believe. Perhaps the Japs (Hope that’s ok Mr PC monitor) are the only ones who can afford it. Perhaps the Olive Oil from FV will go the same way? The problem is there are some very good Olive Oils out there in places like Mercadona and Aldi so unless you can compete price wise with these it’s difficult to make it financially viable. I see the oil industry receive a subsidy although it doesn’t state how much they receive and wonder if it’s sustainable. Unfortunately, it’s against the odds to grow anything apart from Tomatoes in FV due to the pests. A plague of locusts like we had a few years back and your whole crop is lost.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

OK, this has taken a fair amount of research to find as my original link a few posts back didn't seem to work, hope it is useful to some. If you go right to the end of the publication it gives the points of sale (inc some supermarkets) - phew!

Cabildo guide to FV Olive Oil producers

[Joy Division]

Wow! That’s superb. And in English.
Thanks so much for going to the trouble. I’ll look forward to trying some of these. Especially the winner.  I might even do a blind tasting with my favourite Mercadona Olive Oil. Yeah, I really am that sad 😂

A fascinating read. What passion. I never knew Olive trees were used as windbreaks. Perfect for Fuerteventura. I love the sound of La Lágrima de Oro

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Noticias:

The olive harvest season of Fuerteventura arrives.

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura has made available to the olive growers of the Island its oil mill service for the production of olive oil, with the arrival of the olive harvest season. This service is available at the Pozo Negro Experimental Farm.



For the proper functioning of the service, a minimum of 200 kilograms per producer must be delivered and previously communicated through the farm's telephone: 928 87 80 66.



The president of the Cabildo and responsible for the area of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Lola García, appreciates "the effort made by the olive growers of Fuerteventura, who maintain year after year the excellence of a majorero product that is increasingly recognized inside and outside the Island". "From the Cabildo, we will continue to support and strengthen this sector, to advance in its professionalization and make it increasingly competitive," he adds.



The harvest campaign begins in August with arbequina, hojiblanca and picual olives, and ends with the verdial olive at the end of September.



Lola García explains that the elaboration is carried out following the hygienic-sanitary conditions for the correct manufacture of olive oil. This season a larger harvest is expected than in 2022, when there was a lower harvest due to Weather conditions due to high flowering temperatures.