The Juncosa Cooperative presents the extra virgin olive oil Les Cabanes Taste of Earth from the new season

The event was celebrated at the restaurant L’Espurna over a pairing lunch

This afternoon, the Sant Isidre de Juncosa Farming Cooperative has presented the Premium early-harvest extra virgin olive oil Les Cabanes Taste of Earth, recently awarded the gold medal for its quality at the 2022 Olivinus International Olive Oil Competition in Mendoza, Argentina. The introduction, made via a pairing lunch at the restaurant L’Espurna in Lleida, featured the interventions of the Cooperative’s General Director, Àngels Araque, Vice President Antonio Dalmau, and the Steering Committee member in charge of the oil section, Pere Guiu. The speakers explained the characteristics of the season, the new oil and future perspectives.

The pairing lunch, with a large representation from Lleida’s media outlets, allowed guests to discover this Premium PDO Les Garrigues oil in every dish, always raw, “to potentiate its properties”, affirmed the chef of L’Espurna, Jesús Gimena. This extra virgin olive oil has won awards around the world for its quality, at various competitions in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East. Over the past year it has achieved six more international recognitions to add to the others won in recent years.

As for the new season, Araque has explained that although production is predicted to be lower than last year’s, irrigation will make it possible to carry on and 70% of an average year’s production is expected. Furthermore, the cooperative’s future plans include the introduction, next year, of a new bottling line to increase the litres of oil bottled per hour and obtain quality certifications to compete on a worldwide level.

The process of producing this oil begins in mid-October, when the arbequina olive is at its optimal point. The time between harvest and milling is the minimum to guarantee quality. The oil is obtained using only mechanical procedures which do not alter the olive’s organoleptic properties at any time, constantly preserving the aromas and elements inherent to the fruit, with no form of manipulation or chemical procedures.

In other news, at the end of November, on Sunday 27, the Oil and Artisanal Product Fair will return to Juncosa after a two-year hiatus.