Melgarejo, extra virgin olive oil.

The production of such a high quality extra virgin olive oil like Melgarejo Selección Gourmet and Melgarejo Composición Delicatessen is a complex operation that starts from the olive tree itself, the first and fundamental oil producer.

For Aromas de Picual we track all aspects of the fruit: from its growth on the olive tree to harvest, controlling each stage of the agronomic process, the harvest parameters for the production of an excellent quality fruit: the fundamental and essential base for obtaining top quality extra virgin oils.

The fruit is closely attended to in order to grow in harmony, caring for the plant’s health, providing the right amount of water to grow, develop and ripen without water stress, the essence for sensory development, with harmonious, complex and balanced characteristics while achieving the right composition with the extra virgin olive oil’s high nutritional value.

The supply of irrigation water is done via a high-frequency irrigation system that harmonizes the harvest’s needs with the water usage, an essential element and scarce resource in our Mediterranean climate. This is one of the main concerns in Aromas de Picual, so as to care for the environment in which its olive trees are planted: the Sierra Mágina Natural Park.

Special care is taken in the collection of the fruit with Aromas de Picual, tracking the fruit until it reaches the critical maturity, established by our experts relative to the oil’s composition and its sensorial characteristics, taking the index established by the Estación de Olivicultura y Elaiotecnia, known as the IFAPA Centro de Venta del LIOSO, in Mengíbar (Jaén), Spain, the referent research centre for fruit ripening. This operation is performed by following an essential guideline after reaching critical maturity, and in a short period of time, without damaging the fruit.

The fruit is transported, making sure not to damage it, immediately after having been picked, and processed once it has reached the olive mill.

This way production is instantaneous, without delay. Aromas de Picual considers this practice essential in achieving high quality aims.

The complete oil extraction process is done with exquisite care and following the most modern techniques based on the extensive knowledge and experience of those at Aromas de Picual. Milling is done in modern mills, conserving the oil’s fragrance.

The blending of the pulp, a key operation in the oil forming phase, is an essential step for obtaining unique, high quality oils. Aromas de Picual opts for the oil’s excellence rather than fully exhausting the pulp. This is why the pulp mixing operation is done cold. Another parameter that influences quality is the duration of this operation, which is established as a function of the type and characteristics of the fruit, searching for enzymatic actions that provide greater complexity and balance to the extra virgin olive oils, while sacrificing quantity for an excellent quality.

The obtaining of the oil from the pulp is done through a centrifuge, using a two-phase system, called ecological by some vendors, because of the horizontal, stainless steel centrifuge system’s water conservation, where the separation of the oil is instantaneous, avoiding the risks of fermentations that may alter the oil.

Once the first oil is obtained (a humid oil with olive particles) it is again centrifuged to clarify it further. This is done with vertical, stainless steel centrifuges and keeping in mind the amount of water added and the temperature to obtain the oil, while conserving the nutritional elements along with its aroma, complexity and balance typical of Aromas de Picual.

Once obtained, the oil is stored in tanks of limited quantity, made of stainless steel and with inertization techniques. During the first stage, which may vary in time, the humidity and impurities in the oil are systematically removed while allowing the oil to ripen. This evolves the sensorial attributes until they are opened, giving way to the sensorial characteristics typical of these oils. This second stage stabilizes the oils via nitrogen inertization in order to avoid oxidation, when they are then ready to be bottled and distributed to the client.

Aromas de Picual has the custom of packaging upon the client’s request with the aim of maintaining the oils fresh, thus reaching the end-consumer in optimal conditions.