The history of your product begins in Cáceres, in the Palacio de Sotofermoso. What is your link with this location?

Pilar: Our grandfather was born there and he is the soul of our enterprise. He saved the olive trees from being flooded by the construction of the Gabriel y Galán reservoir in the 1950s.

One by one he transplanted the 345 olive trees, making them travel within the province of Cáceres.

This is how our “Traveller Olive grove” was born and is located in Granja de Granadilla (Cáceres).

How did the idea of marketing this olive oil and taking it abroad come about?

Saleta: It was the olive grove itself that asked us for it, giving us a much larger harvest than in previous years, which had always been destined for family consumption. It was, is and will be the “balm of health and life” that our grandparents used at home.

Pilar: For a few months I left my beloved Brussels to live in Spain, and I was able to complete all the formalities to start our adventure. For 20 years our mother has owned the olive grove that belonged to our grandfather. From the very beginning, biodynamic olive grove care was established and has been so up to now. In 2022 we received a silver medal at the Amsterdam International Olive Oil Competition.

In Spain there are many brands and a lot of competition, and we decided to try to position it in the Benelux.

What characteristics differentiate the olive groves where you produce?

Saleta: Basically in 20 years we have turned our olive grove into a forest with its own equilibrium. No chemical fertilizers nor pesticides or irrigation are added. We respect the soil horizons without tillage. All this makes our olive grove a natural ecosystem that is capable of self-regulation. Quality and flavour depend on the “state of health” of the olive grove. A healthy olive grove produces healthy fruit and this is reflected in the final product in parameters such as low acidity, for example, but not only. We do an early harvest to grasp the best green and fruity taste in our Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sotofermoso. The olive grove is located in a microclimate sheltered by the Sierra de Hervás mountain range, which maintains snow for a large part of the year.

What are your goals for the coming years?

Pilar: To position our brand in the Benelux and to make ourselves known while maintaining our excellence and our premium and exclusive production character. We are aiming at a demanding and knowledgeable public. We have already received very good feedback from several Chefs of the Academie Culinaire De France (Délégation de Belgique et du Luxemburg).