Jaén is made up of ten regions and a total of 97 municipalities, where the production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the main driving force.
These ten regions are Sierra Sur, Campiña, El Condado, La Loma, Las Villas, Sierra de Cazorla, Sierra de Segura, Sierra Mágina, Sierra Morena, and the Metropolitan Region of Jaén. In all of them, without exception, the olive tree reigns, often forming monocultures in many areas.
The province currently has three Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) for Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Sierra Mágina, Sierra de Segura, and Sierra de Cazorla. There are also other initiatives, such as the creation of PDOs Sierra Sur de Jaén and Campiñas de Jaén, as well as efforts to establish a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Aceites de Jaén” that would cover the entire olive-growing area of the province.
From a terminological perspective, a designation of origin is an official label, recognized at the European level, granted to agri-food products distinguished by their history and natural environment, including geographic and human factors. In Spain, this designation began to be applied to wines in 1932, when the first legislation on the matter was established.
With Spain’s entry into the European Union, these protection schemes adhere to EU regulations that differentiate, in the case of Andalusia, three different formulas: Designation of Origin, Specific Designation, and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed.
For Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the body responsible for controlling the PDO is the Regulatory Council, which inspects olive groves, mills, and bottling facilities, requiring producers under the designation to maintain the highest product quality and traditional production methods. This authorizes them to use the corresponding PDO label on their Extra Virgin Olive Oil bottles, protecting production within the designated area and promoting access to new, more demanding markets.
Protected Geographical Indication of Aceite de Jaén
This indication, currently in process, would unite all Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the province under a single quality seal, compatible with the three existing PDOs.
According to the regulatory framework, a Protected Geographical Indication refers to “the name of a region, a specific place, or, in exceptional cases, a country, used to designate an agricultural or food product originating from that region, place, or country, which possesses a certain quality, reputation, or other characteristic attributable to its geographic origin, and whose production, transformation, or processing occurs within the defined geographic area.”
The PGI Aceite de Jaén, which has already obtained provisional national protection and is awaiting review by the European Commission for registration in the EU database, includes all 97 municipalities of Jaén province. The main olive variety for Extra Virgin Olive Oil production is Picual, representing 90% of output, with secondary varieties including Royal, Arbequina, Hojiblanca, Picuda, Carrasqueño de Alcaudete, and Manzanillo de Jaén.
Protected Designations of Origin of Jaén
PDO Sierra Mágina. Covers a total of 61,000 hectares in the Sierra Mágina region and is the largest PDO registered in the European Union. As in other regions, the Picual variety is predominant, with Manzanillo de Jaén as an authorized secondary variety. The Regulatory Council received provisional recognition in 1995, ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1997 and the EU in 1999.
Its plantations occupy the central-southern area of Jaén province, mostly traditional olive groves on slopes with 10–15% gradients, producing Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil with great stability, fruity notes, and slightly bitter flavors, with colors ranging from deep green to golden yellow depending on harvest time and area.
PDO Sierra de Segura. Covers the Sierra de Segura region in the northwest of Jaén, dominated by high-altitude olive groves interspersed with pine forests, over 900 meters above sea level, with poor, shallow soils often formed by rock decomposition, irregular climate with temperature fluctuations, and above-average annual rainfall for the province. Oils from the Picual variety produced here have distinctive characteristics within this predominant varietal, yielding yellow-green Extra Virgin Olive Oil with fruity apple and tomato aromas, fresh herb notes, and the characteristic bitterness and spiciness of Picual.
PDO Sierra de Cazorla. Protects olive groves covering 37,500 hectares in the southeast of Jaén, adjacent to the Natural Park of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura, and Las Villas, where the Guadalquivir River originates. This is the largest PDO in Spain by area, with well-defined physical and biological characteristics. Oils under this designation are made from Picual and Royal olives, or a coupage of both, producing highly stable, fruity, slightly bitter oils ranging in color from deep green to golden yellow.
In our store, you can find a wide variety of Extra Virgin Olive Oils, all produced in Jaén province, a true inland paradise where olive groves have sustained an extraordinary and fruitful relationship with the land for centuries.
