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Regions of Spain

The huge climate diversity in Spain produces a wide variety of olives, which naturally produces an extensive variety of olives and olive oils.

These are two of the most important products to the country’s agricultural food industry and in recent years, this industry has grown to see Spain become the world’s biggest producer and exporter of olives and olive oil.

Table olives are grown throughout Spain, but the two primary production areas are Andalusia and Extremadura.

Different regions of Spain are responsible for producing different olives, which produce an extensive variety of olive oils. For example, the Picual variety of olive, characteristic of the mountainous regions of Granada, produces oils with body and a light bitter flavour, while the Hojiblanca variety of olives from Malaga produces sweeter oils, with a light spicy flavour.

The following production areas have distinct characteristics that produce different types of olives and olive oils:

Aragon/Valencia

Other regions, such as Aragón and Valencia, only account for about 1% of Spanish olive oil, depending on the year. Smaller quantities of olive oil are also produced in Navarra and La Rioja. The types of olives cultivated in these areas are Blanqueta, Fraga, Empeltre and Arbequina.

Catalonia

The Catalonian community occupies the northeast corner of the peninsula and produces approximately 3% of the total olive oil produced in Spain. Catalonia is composed of four provinces, beginning in the northeast: Gerona (Girona), Barcelona, Lérida (Lleida) and Tarragona. The types of olives cultivated in Catalonia for the production of oil are Fraga, Empeltre and Arbequina.

Castilla – La Mancha

La Mancha region is located in the centre of the peninsula, to the south of Madrid. Depending on the year, this region produces about 8% of the total olive oil produced in Spain. The Castilla-La Mancha Community is composed of five provinces, from north to south: Guadalajara, Cuenca, Toledo, Ciudad Real, and Albacete.

The general climate is markedly continental, with this characteristic decreasing toward the west and as the altitude increases above 1,000 metres. Rainfall is not abundant, especially in the interior of the sub-plateau, although the influence of the Atlantic in the western region causes an increase in rainfall.

The production of olive oil extends to the southeast of the region, concentrating in the provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real. The variety of olives that are cultivated in this community for the production of oil is Cornicabra, although in the southern region bordering Andalusia there are small areas that cultivate the variety known as Picual.

Extremadura

The Extremadura region is situated in the southwestern part of the country, on the border with Portugal. This region produces approximately 4% of the total olive oil produced in Spain. Extremadura is composed of two provinces, Caceres in the north and Badajoz in the south. The general climate is continental, with warm winters, softened by the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and with scarce rainfall in autumn and winter. Summers are hot, reaching temperatures well above 30ºC (86ºF).The production of olive oil extends equally throughout the region. The types of olives that are cultivated in Extremadura for the production of oil are Cornicabra, Carrasqueña and Morisca.

Andalusia

The Andalusian region occupies the southern third of the peninsula, and accounts for approximately 81% of the total olive oil produced in Spain. The Andalusian Community is composed of eight provinces, from east to west: Almeria, Granada, Jaen, Cordoba, Malaga, Seville, Cadiz and Huelva. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean; hot, dry summers, winters with mild temperatures, and irregular precipitation. Nevertheless, due to the extensive territory which Andalusia covers, terrain and climate vary from desert areas to mountains with high rainfall, from snow mountain ranges to other natural microclimates.