Antonio Palacios Romero
Oil Master Miller at the associated cooperative San Nicolás in Marinaleda (Sevilla).
It was with the turn of the millennium when he began his professional relationship with this cooperative. Although he started as a miller, thanks to his love of mechanics, he soon became in charge of technical maintenance and in a couple of years he assumed the maximum responsibility in the production process of extra virgin olive oil in this mill.
In addition to having learned from his elders, he has also had to learn many things on his own, because he confesses “when you like your job you never stop thinking about what you can improve”.
During the campaign, he starts his activity at 2 p.m. with the opening of the unloading area for the olives harvested that morning, so that the milling process is as fast as possible, of a fresh and healthy fruit. “We know at what time we start, but never at what time we finish each day,” Antonio tells us, as it depends on the amount of olives delivered that day and if there has been any incident in their extraction. And the day does not end once the olives have been milled; everything must be left completely clean and ready for the next day.
At the San Nicolás cooperative they have two reception lines and two clarifiers, so that when one is full they can continue working without stopping and thus not waste time.
When it comes to determining the key to obtaining a good extra virgin olive oil, Antonio focuses on receiving fresh, healthy olives at their optimum point of ripeness, which is why he considers the work of the farmer to be fundamental. In his field, cleanliness, time and temperature are the two most relevant factors in achieving a high quality olive juice. “That everything is always clean and that the entire extraction process is carried out below 27 degrees in the shortest possible time are my main concerns,” says Antonio.
Antonio recalls with pride and emotion all the moments he has spent working, all the hours he has spent in this cooperative and all the efforts he has had to make to solve every unforeseen event that has arisen in all these years. “All the efforts are worth it when campaign after campaign we can enjoy an olive juice full of quality and affection” Antonio confesses to us to end this interview.
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