The second-tier cooperative Oleoestepa, a leading producer of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, has opened the doors of its new olive oil cellar to more than 1,600 people, in the presence of Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of the Junta de Andalucía, among other authorities.
During this open day, the guests were able to walk around the almost eight thousand square metres that make up the new Oleoestepa facilities, which have involved an investment of 7.5 million euros, and have two rooms: a warehouse space that complements the current bottling plant, and the cellar, where the drums have been installed to store up to fifteen thousand tons of olive oil.
The President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Mr Juan Manuel Moreno, accompanied by the Andalusian Government Delegate in Seville, Mr Ricardo Sánchez, and the Secretary General for Agriculture, Livestock and Food, Ms Consolación Vera, among other authorities, attended the meeting, where they were given a detailed technical explanation by the President of Oleoestepa, Mr Jesús Juárez, and the Managing Director of the company, Mr Álvaro Olavarría.
Mr. Jorge Muriel Mayor of Herrera, Mr. Juan Manuel Moreno President of the Junta de Andalucía,
Mr. Jesús Juárez President of Oleoestepa and Mr. Álvaro Olavarría Managing Director of Oleoestepa.
At the end of the visit, the President of the Andalusian Regional Government addressed all those present, emphasising the pride of the Andalusian Government, thanks to the work of the cooperatives and members of Oleoestepa, in making extra virgin olive oil of the highest quality available to Spanish and world society.
Mr. Juan Manuel Moreno President of the Junta de Andalucía, in his speech to the 1,600 attendees.
The new winery is located in Herrera (Seville), a municipality very close to where Oleoestepa’s bottling plant and headquarters are located, in the neighbouring town of Estepa (Seville). With the expected increase in olive oil production from its 19 associated mills in the short and medium term, once the current drought cycle is overcome, and thanks to the actions of conversion and modernisation of the olive groves, Oleoestepa’s annual production potential is expected to be close to seventy thousand tonnes of olive oil, which is why the decision was taken to invest in an infrastructure of this magnitude. “This new business initiative will allow us to boost our bottling capacity and, in addition, to self-regulate high production campaigns”, the company’s managing director, Álvaro Olavarría, pointed out, noting that “this equipment is accompanied by highly trained human resources who are up to date with the latest technology in machinery and laboratories”. This new investment comes at a time when Oleoestepa is present on practically every continent. “Andalusia is the leader in olive oil production in the world, so talking about Andalusia opens many doors for our olive oils”, emphasised Álvaro Olavarría, who affirms that “today our international trade represents between 35 and 50%” of the company’s turnover.
