Las Hoyas AOVE S.L.

In the Sierra de Andújar (Jaén) is La Dehesa de la Posadilla, a farm with an olive grove that annually produces between 600,000 and 800,000 kilos of Picual olives, which are subsequently marketed under the brand name Las Hoyas AOVE.

For 30 years, the entire Castillo Ochotorena family has been involved in the management of this estate. It is not countryside, nor mountain range, but its soil of pebbles and alluvium from the nearby Jándula River has proven to be ideal and grateful for olive growing, delivering very stable seasons both in quantity and quality.

In 2021, looking for a better way of relating to the environment, the Castillo Ochotorena family decided to renovate the estate, introducing it to organic cultivation practices. After 3 years and a great effort, they achieved the European Organic Farming Certification. In their olive grove they do not use herbicides, insecticides or synthetic fertilisers. For example, for weed control they have replaced herbicides with horses, which graze freely next to the olive trees.

Their olive trees are of the Picual variety, the most numerous and representative variety of Jaén. Picual olive oil has an intense and fruity flavour, with herbaceous and slightly bitter notes. Its aroma is fresh, with hints of freshly cut grass and almonds. Due to its high oleic acid content, Picual olive oil is very stable and resistant to oxidation, which prolongs its shelf life.

The harvesting campaigns at La Dehesa de la Posadilla begin at the beginning of October in order to obtain early harvest oils. The olives are milled the same day they are harvested, resulting in oils of excellent quality throughout the campaign.