This month's EVOO from Albacete.

—CLUB EXCLUSIVE—

​​Hailing from the land of Cervantes' "Don Quixote", the Club is heading to Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Carolina and Juan are lifelong friends now working together around the same mission: to produce high-quality EVOO that supports wildlife and prevents the desertification that's destroyed much of this part of Spain.

What it tastes like.

Pour some in a small wine glass, have a swirl, and expect aromas of...

Fig leaf

Green tomato

Apple

Meet the producers: Carolina & Juan.

Say hello to a dynamic duo. She protects endangered species; he's a soil-loving agronomist.

Juan—whose surname ‘Olivares’ has ancient ties to olive farming—and Carolina are old family friends. Their fathers managed these groves before them, and today, they are combining their lands and effort towards a regenerative, flavour-led future.

Their conversion to organic began in 2016. Soon, building biodiversity and soil health became integral to their approach.

Surrounded by forest, they're working hard to support wildlife and prevent the desertification that's destroyed much of this part of Spain—all while making this fruity, delicate oil that’s as rich in flavour as it is in legacy.

Surrounded by forest, they're working hard to support wildlife and prevent the desertification that's destroyed much of this part of Spain—all while making this fruity, delicate oil that’s as rich in flavour as it is in legacy.

The region.

Leaving the turquoise waters and rocky shores of the Mediterranean behind, this little pocket of the word lies straight inland, about an hour and a half from Alicante or two hours from Valencia into the plains of Spain.

Here, in the flat lands around the Sierra de Segura mountain range, you'll find Carolina & Juan's groves. Surrounded by a natural forest, they're growing their version—building on their family groves in the village of Hellín in Albacete.

Unique geographic conditions—grown on predominantly limestone soil and in a region characterised by its continental climate—give this oil its distinctive organoleptic characteristics.

From the pines around them to the aromatic herbs and almonds on their land, they're championing regenerative practices with the help of some pretty cute creatures, too. They raise geese that control weeds, plant mycorrhizal plants to cultivate three different types of truffles, produce their own organic fertilizer, and rehabilitate buildings to bring them back to life—a focus on regeneration in every stage. 

*Extra* exclusives...

Booking some upcoming travel? As a member of our Olive Oil Club, we'll give you a £20 gift card for our site when they visit one of our producers for a tasting.

From grove walks to dinners under the stars, it's a great way to dive more into the world of EVOO and support farmers doing right by people and planet.

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