100% Organic Arbequina Biodynamic Olive Oil
Open a bottle of biodynamic Arbequina from Castillo de Canena, put your nose close to it, and smell it. These three steps are enough to realize that you are in the presence of a great olive oil. And then the other three steps: taste, feel, and enjoy. It is exquisite.
Limited to 20,000 units, it comes in a white bottle with a sand texture, recalling the origins of agriculture. It is silkscreened with the constellation of the moon and stars, representing cosmic forces and those of the earth itself.
"It is a very balanced oil, with a moderately pronounced bitterness and spiciness that is very pleasant."
We would define it as very balanced, with a moderately pronounced bitterness and spiciness that is very pleasant. We also notice notes of green apples, banana peel, tomato and even a touch of citrus. Persistent in the mouth, the bitterness and spiciness are well integrated; and some astringency reminiscent of artichoke, cardoon or persimmon.
Paco Vañó, Co-owner of Canena Castle:
When my sister Rosa and I started the “Castillo de Canena” project 15 years ago, we did so on the solid foundations that our parents and previous generations of family members had bequeathed to us. From the beginning, we were very clear that we were, above all, farmers. We were possessed by a moral mandate that obliged us to preserve the countryside, to pamper it, to look after it, to regenerate it and to never forget that the basis of our heritage was the magnificent olive groves from which we obtained, year after year and harvest after harvest, the fruits from which we extracted extraordinary juices and AOVEs of the highest quality. We had received a unique legacy but, in reality, it did not belong to us; we had to leave our children the inheritance of a land much richer, more fertile and with more biodiversity than the one that had been given to us by our elders.
In 2010 we decided to go for Biodynamic Agriculture. We were attracted by concepts such as the harmonisation of human activity with the Earth and the Universe, the influence of the moon and the planets on the growth and fruiting of our trees, the effectiveness of biodynamic preparations in enriching and fertile our soil and, of course, the self-sufficient concept of a “closed farm” in which any “by-product” generated in our agricultural tasks had to be reused again for the benefit of the farm itself. We then felt that we had to re-create a true ecosystem on our farm where the economic activity we practiced would coexist harmoniously with the natural environment in which we moved. That only by respecting the food chain and promoting the presence of the native and endemic fauna and flora of our geographical area, could we revive and regenerate the land, reducing the effect of pests and obtaining good harvests on a recurring and sustained basis.
We learned to mix manure with the olive oil and the leaves and twigs from the cleaning of the fruit during the harvest and to use the final compost as the only fertilizer for our biodynamic olive groves. In addition to obtaining the Demeter certificate, at Castillo de Canena we certified our Water Footprint and Carbon Footprint with DNV and obtained the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) issued by the Swedish agency Environtech. We have made significant investments to ensure that most of the energy we consume comes from renewable sources and we have transferred a significant percentage of the biomass generated by pruning work to clean electricity generation plants. We have carried out reforestation with native Iberian tree species and replanted hundreds of shrubs, bushes and aromatic plants.
We have built artificial nests and encouraged, under the agreements signed with SEO-BIRDLIFE, the reintroduction of birds on our farm. We have regenerated wetlands and created “islands of life”, contributing to the expression “Olivares Vivos” becoming a reality. The result (one of them) is that in our increasingly biodiverse and rich countryside we have seen again species of insects, reptiles, birds and mammals that had disappeared more than half a century ago… and our soil is gaining in fertility and organic matter. But the good news is that, in Castillo de Canena, we have new measures planned to continue advancing on the exciting path of regenerating the surroundings and the Environment that surrounds us.
Consumers are becoming more strict and demanding, and, of course, more and more sensitive to the Social Responsibility policies implemented by companies. It is no longer enough to produce EVOOs of exceptional organoleptic and sensorial quality, bottled in beautiful bottles and packaged with the utmost care. Our clients also value the intangible assets that a company is able to offer, including its commitment to the conservation of Nature and scrupulous respect for the Environment. Both are highly significant differentiating elements.
