Olive oil production in Menorca has never been abundant, but the remains of an oil mill from Roman times have been found in Alaior and there is other evidence that oil has been produced for private consumption. Over the last 100 years olive tree farming has gradually increased and now there are over 80 hectares of planted trees shared between 20 producers according to Oli de Menorca, the local association for producers which was established in 2014.
In 2020, Menorcan Olive Oil was registered in the Balearic Islands Catalogue of Traditional Foodstuffs by the Balearic Islands Government. The local producers are working hard to get recognition for their oil from the European Union through a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This would bring them into line with the cheese and wine producers which have already achieved recognition of exclusive origin. The application has been approved by the regional and Spanish governments and is now in Brussels for its final approval.
As worldwide prices of olive oil have risen, our own small producers have become more price competitive. Although still more expensive than the large producers they are similar to premium brands. It is the best time to try the local organic products or to buy them as a special present for friends and family.
MORVEDRA VELL OLIVE FARM
The Morvedra Vell estate looks out over land covered in wild olive trees (known as ullastres in Menorca and acebuches in Spain) which stretch down to the virgin beaches of Cala Turqueta and Macarella. From the house you get a beautiful view across to the sea with Mallorca on the horizon.
For the last 10 years, olive trees have been grown here according to ecological farming methods and the farm has signed an agreement with GOB to guarantee sustainable management respecting biodiversity and the environment, as well as best practices in regenerative agriculture.
At Morvedra Vell there are now 12 hectares of planted olive groves where they produce mainly arbequina, picual, empeltre and arróniz varieties. The wild olive trees on the rest of the estate are nurtured with as much care as the cultivated varieties and the oil or oli d’olivó is extracted and added to the final product to give it a distinctive taste. In recent years they have started to plant other varieties such as royal changlot which, when mature, will increase the aromas of their blend When the current family owner bought the estate in 2004 the land was in a poor condition and at that time not many people were interested in acquiring rural properties in Menorca. There were cows and sheep roaming the land and when he decided to plant the first olive trees the sandstone rock had to be broken up by machines before the young saplings could be planted. A 1m2 area was cleared for each tree and they are grown in rows 6m apart. Once established, the roots grow down into the interstices of the rocks.
When we visited in November, the land was ready to plant 1000 more trees to bring the final number to around 4000. They generally buy young saplings at two or three years old but then they must wait 8-9 years for these trees to become fully productive and profitable. Last year they planted around 300 empeltres of six to seven years of age which will become fully productive in two to three more years.
The farm is managed by Pito Barber who was born at Sant Josep, a farm in Ferreries, which was bought by the same family before they acquired Morvedra Vell. Pito also works at Sant Josep where he manages the sheep and the vineyards.
Morvedra Vell is part of Custodia Agraria, Menorca’s Land Stewardship programme with the aim to farm the olives with total respect for the environment and this allows the olive oil to be ecologically produced and certified. The land between the trees is not ploughed, but instead the vegetation is cut, mulched, and put back on the land along with cow manure to form an organic cover. As well as enriching the soil it also helps to retain the moisture on the soil and to allow the maximum development of biodiversity. GOB arranges volunteering days on the farm for activities such as rubbish collection, pruning trees and installation of olive wood gates to replace old metal ones. It also helps with the marketing and product promotion.
The trees flower in March/April but this year there was not enough rain early in the year for the blossom to flourish. The farm used a watering system which is regulated by sensors which monitor the moisture in the soil. The water comes from rainfall and the deposits on the farm and is pumped using solar energy.
Batteries are used so that the watering can be carried out at night to minimise evaporation from the soil. The relatively small size of the olive oil farm allows the production and harvesting to be carefully monitored leading to award winning products.
Pruning is done by hand in a way that is best for harvesting and also to allow air to get to the plant to prevent disease. Pheromones are used also as an organic method to prevent pests. The major insect species threatening olive trees in the Mediterranean region is the olive tree fly. Rather than spraying the trees with toxic insecticides, sexual pheromone components are used to disrupt the mating of the flies by attracting and trapping the females. If you see a container hanging in the tree, this contains the pheromones.
The grove is experimenting with a local producer of ecologic containers for the product.
A second method consists of spraying a white powder made from kaolin clay mixed with water every two to three weeks to form a physical barrier and repellent which discourages the flies from perforating the surface of the olives and laying eggs. When the larva becomes adult, it will create a large hole to leave the olive, allowing infestations which can cause problems to the quality of the oil. Other pests include snails which eat the leaf bud.
Pito carefully monitors the ripening of the olives so that they can be picked at the optimum moment. He tells us that this is when 50% of the olives on the tree are black and 50% still green. 2 kg samples are sent to a laboratory in Catalunya where they are further analysed for fats and other qualities.
We were lucky to be visiting Morvedra at harvest time. The pickers, including Pito’s son, were using handheld electric machines with vibrating prongs to carefully ‘comb’ the olives from the trees. They fall onto nets to be collected and taken straight to the mill for processing (if you would like to help out they call it ‘Agrofitness). In previous years they have also hired a vibration machine from Mallorca which fixes around the trunk to shake the olives from the larger trees but this year the machine was not available.
In 2023 the farm installed a new olive mill to allow all the processing to be carried out on the farm, improving the quality further. In previous years, they had to take the harvested olives to a mill elsewhere and at busy times they had to wait for a slot to become available. 1 litre of oil can be produced from 8-9kg of the cultivated olives whereas the wild olives are much smaller with less flesh and they produce a lot less oli de olivó per kilo. The plant at Morvedra can process up to 500 kg of olives per hour and in good years they have produced 2500 litres of oil. Last year production was adversely affected by a sudden hailstorm which damaged some of the olives just as they were ready to be harvested. Others which were less ripe survived the major onslaught of ice. Dry years can also affect the quantity of olives produced but not the quality.
The olives are ground at the mill either the same afternoon they are harvested or the morning after using certified ecological processes. The oil is cold extracted using modern Italian machinery, and the entire process is mechanised. The final process is to decant the oil using gravity until it reaches its purest form. Pito told us that they avoid using centrifuges to avoid losses of aroma. Next year the farm is planning to offer its milling services to other olive oil producers in Menorca.
The oil is sent to Tarragona for EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) certification, and it is stored in separate containers for each type of oil before being blended and bottled on site. The award winning Morvedra oil is a blend of Arbequina and Picual with 1-2% of Olivó The latter gives the oil its unique flavour. A 500ml bottle costs €12.50 on their website and it can also be purchased in a 1 litre can for €20.50.
AWARD WINNING FLAVOUR
Morvedra’s olive oil won the Gold Medal at the Concurso TerraOlivo and they also participated in BIOFACH in Germany which is the world’s most important exhibition for organic products. There they achieved 4th place aganst the best olive oils in the world which opened up new Central European markets to their product. Morvedra say that professionals at the olive oil tasting events have highlighted “the intense fruitiness of its taste with bitter, spicy, green and sweet nuances, as well as evoking almond, artichoke and tomato flavours.
Its soft, arbequina olive base is complemented by the stronger taste of the picual. The result is an olive oil ideal for accompanying vegetables and salads”. A full list of points of sale can be found on the website
https://www.morvedra.com/punts-de-venda/
Contact: info@morvedra.com, Tel: +34 607 721 128
www.gobmenorca.com/custodiaagraria
email: custodia@gobmenorca.com GOB organises public excursions to farms which consist of a walking itinerary through nature and ending with a guided visit and a tasting of the products.
They are held at the weekends and are open to everyone. They are announced on the website. People should register to receive the newsletter if they want to be informed regularly. They can also follow GOB on IG (gobmenorca _ oficial) or in FB (gobmenorca).
For more information on olive oil producers:
https://www.olidemenorca.org / Email: olidemenorca@gmail.com
