Olive oil tourism at Finca Teuladi Señorios de Relleu - "living olive grove" project - high quality olive oil - nature restoration

Ten kilometers inside the coastal town of Villejoyosa on the Costa Blanca is a small factory that specializes in making high-quality olive oil. The oil is sold under the brand name Señorios de Relleu and has won many international awards. In the olive groves, measures have been taken to restore damaged ecosystems, create increased biodiversity and ensure that plants, birds and animals thrive in the area. You are welcome to buy olive oil or take a guided tour.

Spain is the country in the world with the most olive trees. A total of 2.4 million hectares are used for olive production. With such a large area, even measures that provide small improvements in the ecosystem and biodiversity could have a major impact if many people take them up. Olive oil production has a long tradition. At Finca Teuladi, olives have been produced for many centuries. The building in the photo above is more than 100 years old. It was built in 1918 and was named Teuladi, which means sparrow.

According to information from the farm, the current owner Elisco Quintanilla Almagro bought Finca Teuladi in 2000. He had been researching the health benefits of olive oil for many years and aimed to create medicines from the most effective ones. The original plan was to use the farm to develop medicines. However, after a few years of unsuccessful attempts, he gave up and started producing olive oil instead with his youngest son Hugo. At first, they did it just as a hobby, but when friends and acquaintances praised their olive oil, they dared to think bigger. In 2011, they entered two major, prestigious international competitions. Their oil Señorios de Relleu won the gold medal in San Francisco and the Grand Prestige Gold in Israel. Since then, they have produced 30,000 liters of this oil every year. They have won many more prizes and awards for their olive oil, but also for the way they produce it and take care of nature.

In the staircase from the first to the second floor there are dozens of diplomas from awards and distinctions.

While in the past the oil was pressed, today it is centrifuged. Some of the old equipment is still on the farm, but today's production is carried out with modern equipment and methods. To achieve the highest possible quality, the oil is extracted from the olive fruit the same day it is harvested. Since the oil can deteriorate when exposed to air and light, it is stored in stainless steel containers under vacuum. It is also bottled in aluminum bottles that are both light-proof and lightweight.

Mill and press from the 1930s show how olive oil was produced in the old days

Today's equipment meets high demands for cleanliness and quality control

Olive oil storage containers

Olive oil is sold in various sizes, from 20 ml tubes to 3 liter cans. The most popular is the 500 ml aluminum bottle.

The managers of Finca Teuladi believe that Elisco's pharmaceutical background and solid knowledge of olive trees, olive groves and agriculture have been crucial to their success. The combination of a favorable climate with an average temperature of 15.8 degrees and sufficient rainfall (400 mm annually) and the nutrient-poor clay and calcareous soil of Finca Teuladi have made it particularly well suited to olive production. But Elisco and Hugo have also joined the EU-funded project Olivares Vivos (Living Olive Groves). Olivares Vivos built on a research project that ran from 2015 to 2021 and documented that it was possible to implement measures that improved ecosystems and increased biodiversity, while also benefiting the owners.

Finca Teuladi has joined the Olivares Vivos project, which aims to increase biodiversity and restore ecosystems in olive groves, allowing more plants, animals and birds to thrive in the area.

In traditional industrial olive oil production, the aim is to extract as much oil as possible from the olive fruit. After the fruit is ground, it is subjected to several rounds of pressing (or centrifugation) at higher temperatures. In the end, you end up with a residue that contains almost nothing but dry fibers. When making Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you only use the oil that comes out of the first round of centrifugation at temperatures below 20 degrees, what was previously called cold-pressed oil. At Finca Teuladi, they only produce Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is the healthiest oil with the highest levels of important minerals, antioxidants, vitamins A and E, unsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. They spread the still nutritious residue on the soil where it benefits birds, insects, plants and animals.

The residual mass from olive production and twigs from the harvest are placed under the olive trees to improve the ecological balance in the area.

One of the most important measures to improve the ecological balance in olive groves is to avoid removing grass, weeds and plants from the unproductive areas around the trees and other places that cannot be cultivated. In the past, most of this vegetation was removed because it was thought that this would allow the olive trees to receive more nutrients and water. However, research has shown that in the long run, it is better to think the opposite. When other crops are allowed to grow in the unproductive areas, the soil will be able to store more water after the rain. Damage to the soil from heavy rains will be reduced, the soil will stay moister, erosion caused by drought and wind will be reduced, the growth conditions for microbes and insects will be better, and it will be easier for birds and other animals that feed on insects to survive. This will lead to greater biodiversity and a better ecological balance. A better ecological balance will make plants and trees more resistant to infections and reduce the need for artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Less use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides will in turn contribute to greater biodiversity. In this way, virtuous circles will arise that will both reduce the farmer's expenses and make nature better off.

Alpine chough is one of the birds that comes to eat the leftovers from olive oil production.

Another measure is to take care of the old trees that do not bear much fruit and are no longer so profitable. Finca Teuladi has a total of 17,000 olive trees spread over 120 hectares. Of these, 300 are more than 200 years old. They are called Olivo Monumental and are taken extra good care of. Two of them are so old that they have been granted the status of Patrimonio Arbóreo Monumental de la comunidad Valenciana. To strengthen the work of taking care of the old trees, a sponsorship scheme has been created. By paying an annual fee, you will be allocated a tree that you can visit whenever you want. You will also receive some other benefits.

The bidet shows one of the 300 olive trees on the Teuladi estate that are over 200 years old. Olive trees can be very old, up to 1500 - 3000 years old, and olives have been used by humans since ancient times. Apadrinamiento de un Olivo Monumental is a nationwide sponsorship scheme where you can become a sponsor for one of the old trees.

Several bird boxes have been set up in the trees on the farm to make it easier for birds to nest there.

In several places there are natural water sources that are important for insects, birds and animals.

Dragonflies mating in the area

To be able to make a high-quality olive oil, special expertise is required. There are about a thousand different types of olives in the world, and in Spain alone there are about 250. These species have different tastes and characters, and by mixing several types you can get the characteristics of the oil you want. The time at which the fruit is harvested is important. The riper and darker the fruit, the rounder and stronger the flavor the oil will have. At Finca Teuladi, six local species are mixed in different proportions to create the three main types of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Señorios de Relleu: delicate, medium and intense. The six olive species are: la Manzanilla Villalonga, Blanqueta, Chanlot Real, Alfarara, Genovesa and Arbequina. Señorios de Relleu sells its products throughout Spain, but also exports to 25 countries worldwide. Gourmet restaurants and hotels are the most important customer groups.

Almost every day, large or small groups come to visit to taste the olive oil and get an introduction to the production of olive oil.

Finca Teuladi has also invested in olive oil tourism. This means that guests can see how production takes place and get information about the work to improve ecosystems. Whether you are a group of 1-5 people or 6-25, you can book a guided tour, possibly with a meal in the shade under the canopy of one of the large pine trees on the farm. The income from ecotourism helps to make it possible to continue environmentally friendly small-scale production of olive oil.

A guide explains the different characteristics of olive fruit and the importance of harvesting it at the right time. At Finca Teuladi, the harvest usually starts sometime between October 10th and 15th and lasts for six weeks. To ensure the highest quality, the oil is extracted from the fruit the same day it is harvested, and only fruit that has been picked from the trees is used. Fallen fruit is not used.

A guide informs guests about the different varieties of olive oil that they can taste. The farm is located 429 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains over a thousand meters high, such as the Sierra Aitana (1558 m) and Puig Campana (1406 m).

An artist has created the label for the bottles used. It describes the history of Señorios de Relleu from the building built in 1918 to the awards won in 2011 and the Mediterranean Sea which is just ten kilometres away. The special label and the lightweight aluminium bottles used have helped to differentiate this product from its competitors and increase sales.

Olive groves around Finca Teuladi. In one of the olive groves, 100 different olive varieties are planted and blended to create a special type of oil.

The olive harvest takes place over an intense six-week period from mid-October to the end of November.

Olive harvesting machine at Finca Teuladi near Relleu

The olive trees at la Finca Teuladi are full of olive fruit

Under the olive trees, flowers are abundant in many places

Insect hotels have been set up in some places to strengthen the insect population.

Olives left over after the harvest become food for birds

Olive oil tourism, sponsorship of monumental olive trees and measures to improve biodiversity can make it easier for small-scale farms to become profitable and competitive, using production methods that yield lower yields than their competitors. The potential to reduce biodiversity loss and enhance biodiversity in Spain is great if this way of farming could be adopted across much of the 2.4 million hectares currently under olive trees.

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Excursion of the week: Olive oil tourism at Finca Teuladi Señorios de Relleu - nature restoration - improved ecological balance and increased biodiversity

How to get there: Type "Oleoturismo Señorios de Relleu" into Google Maps. This will take you straight to the parking lot at the main house of Finca Teuladi. Alternatively: Take the AP-7 exit to Villajoyosa. Then follow the CV-770 towards Sella. You can also take the exit towards Sella from the N-332. Follow the CV-770 a short distance past Orxeta, then turn left onto the CV-775 where there are signs for Relleu. Follow this road past Relleu. It is worth taking the ring road - circumvalacion - at the bottom of Relleu to avoid driving through the center. Follow the CV-775 for 2 kilometers after Relleu. You will then have passed the bridge over the Amadorio River. At a small intersection with several white signs (see photo above), turn right towards Finca Teuladi. After 700 meters you will come to a sign for Finca Teuladi. Drive through the gate and park there.

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