When selecting our olive oil in Spain, we use the long-standing know-how of our employees on site in the selection of cooperatives and their olive oils. Our colleague in Spain is an officially recognized Catador (Olive oil tester and member of the olive oil panel of Baena). He is available all year round for us on the road to select the highest quality extra virgin olive oils. The olives are mainly produced by cooperatives between Cordoba and Seville.

After harvesting, the olives must be taken to the oil mill as soon as possible, as they must be processed within 24 hours after harvesting at the oil mill in order not to spoil. Once the olives arrive at the oil mill, the leaves are removed and the olives are washed. After a further quality control, the olives arrive at the oil mill via a conveyor system. There a roller crushes the fruit into a pulp. The mash is kneaded in the Malaxer so that the fine oil droplets in the fruit flesh combine to form larger drops. The oil is then separated from the fruit water and the solid components by a centrifuge.

In addition to the chemical and physical parameters, extra virgin olive oil is subjected to a sensory test, known as the panel test. According to a precise procedure laid down in the EU Regulation 2568/91, the oil is tested by a group of experts with a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12 testers. In addition to checking for sensory defects such as pungent, musty or rancid, the positive attributes fruity, bitter and pungent are assessed and graded on a scale of 1 to 10. The panel head uses statistical methods to determine an evaluation of the oil from the individual results. The highest quality category "extra virgin" is awarded to an oil that has no defects and has a perceptible fruitiness.

After pressing and a successful panel test, the olive oil is safely protected from light and stored under nitrogen. As an additional quality control, there is an additional sensory control by a member of the German Olive Oil Panel in addition to analyses in our own laboratory accredited according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. This enables us to guarantee the high quality of our extra virgin olive oil even over several batches.