The new reality opens up a world of opportunities for new olive varieties
Interview with Filipe Mestre, general director of Oleaconsult – olivicultura e seviços, lda
After several years working in companies within the sector and accompanying projects in various regions and realities, the opportunity to create the company arose. Oleaconsult was founded in 2010 with the purpose of offering technical advisory services, both in olive growing and in the production and commercialization of the final product, olive oil.
Oleaconsult is based in Évora but operates throughout Portugal, with a more continuous presence in the Alentejo region. We also carry out projects in other countries and olive-growing areas.
We have experience with a wide range of realities, from traditional olive groves to more modern models such as intensive or hedge systems, whether in conventional, integrated, or organic production. We strive to adapt to the different realities and idiosyncrasies of each area or farm.
We like to work with the “turnkey” model, organizing and managing all phases of a project, from the preliminary technical-economic study related to the feasibility of the plantation, through the installation phase of the crop, and ending with the technical monitoring of it. It is a meticulous and dedicated job, aimed at offering our clients a thoroughly verified plantation project, perfectly executed, and with guaranteed technical-economic longevity.
To carry out these works, we have a solid network of collaborators with whom we have been working for many years.
This allows us to execute any phase of the process in an exemplary and timely manner: construction of dams, reservoirs, and wells, soil preparation, installation of the irrigation system, planting, whether mechanized or manual, as well as the supply of all necessary materials for a plantation (stakes, protectors, plants, trellises, etc.).
What are the main projects you are dedicated to?
In addition to the daily management of our clients’ farms and the implementation of new projects, we highlight some projects we have been collaborating on, which have the particularity that all of them offer opportunities to learn and grow in knowledge and value. We try to make this our brand image, with the “know-how” we have acquired, to be able to transmit it and add value to each project we collaborate on.
• Esporão Organic: We offer technical advice to the network of producers who cultivate organically and are part of the organic olive oil project of the company Herdade do Esporão.
• Apadrinhaumaoliveira (Sponsor an Olive Tree): In the central region of Portugal, specifically in Abrantes, Oleaconsult carries out monitoring and revitalization work on ancestral and traditional olive groves in the region, in collaboration with a local association that promotes and drives the project.
• Large Estates – Hedge Olive Groves: This type of olive growing, due to its nature and size, requires a very special, particularly demanding, and professional working methodology.
• Own Experimental Farm: We own farms with a wide range of characteristics, conditions, and models: traditional, intensive, and hedge olive groves. The experience accumulated over the last 20 years allows us to substantially improve the technical information provided to our clients, offering well-verified technical knowledge, products, and resources.
In recent years, we have witnessed the constant development of Genetic Improvement Programs aimed at creating new varieties adapted to hedge olive groves.
How has this evolution progressed? Which varieties have you encountered, and what characteristics do you highlight?
I have known and worked with Agromillora for over 15 years, and undoubtedly, innovation is the hallmark of this company. The close relationship with academia and research, the development of new agronomic models, and the desire to do more and better are part of Agromillora’s DNA. This way of working remains very present today, not only with the development of shd olive groves but also now with multiple agreements in genetic improvement programs to obtain new olive varieties.
Our philosophy is also that the key to being more efficient lies in genetics, management, and agronomic models in hedges, as long as conditions allow.
Initially, the most planted variety was Arbequina, which has been surpassed by Arbosana in recent years. We had just started the hedge olive grove revolution, and the sector was already realizing the importance of varietal renewal. As a result of intense work in genetic improvement programs, we have had a set of varieties with differentiated characteristics and adapted to the hedge model at our disposal. This has allowed us to develop work, both in the field and in the mill, according to the specific and desired characteristics for each project.
Oleaconsult offers consulting services to many farmers, from production to the commercialization of olive oil. What are the concerns of producers and marketers in the sector?
Producers seek to market a product with homogeneous characteristics suitable for the market they have built and operate in. In general, they look for a quality product in the oil, with differentiated and stable chemical and organoleptic characteristics.
Whether due to technical knowledge, cultural reasons, or simply curiosity, the new consumer is demanding greener oils, from earlier harvests, that can guarantee higher quality oils with more intense organoleptic characteristics in fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness. This new reality opens up a world of opportunities for new olive varieties, as products with the characteristics demanded by the new end consumer can be obtained.
This search for differentiating characteristics offers interesting opportunities for the industry, allowing the exploration of a new market and meeting the growing demand for unique products. In this context, our advice plays a crucial role in guiding farmers and producers in optimizing production and meeting market expectations.
What is your opinion on the Lecciana variety? What are its outstanding agronomic characteristics? What is the feedback from the point of view of organoleptic characteristics?
The Lecciana variety, resulting from the cross between the Arbosana and Italian Leccino varieties, presents very interesting characteristics for obtaining differentiated and high-quality extra virgin olive oil, with guarantees of stability over time.
From our experience with the variety, we see that agronomically it is a rustic variety, with an early harvest, and should not be provided with excessive comfort conditions, whether in nutrition or irrigation. In fact, Lecciana’s behavior is antagonistic to what we would initially think about a variety used in SHD olive groves. We have been familiar with it for some years, which allows us to draw some conclusions related to its agronomic behavior and its nutritional, water, and health needs.
We say it is a very suitable variety in areas where we have some limiting factor, such as water restriction (even growing it dry if soil characteristics allow), areas of excessive cold, or organic production. Additionally, due to its organoleptic characteristics, it is suitable for obtaining high-quality, stable, and differentiated extra virgin olive oil.
Another variety that has stood out in new projects is the Coriana variety. How do you evaluate its performance in terms of productivity?
The Coriana variety is very early, both in maturation and in production onset. It has highly differentiated high productivity characteristics and expresses all its potential in good soil, water, and climate conditions. In our experimental farm in Montemor-o-Novo, we have a plantation of this variety, established in March 2022. With only 19 months of life, we were able to obtain a first harvest in 2023, with an average productivity of 4500 Hg/ha. This first harvest has allowed us to learn some characteristics of the variety, both in its agronomic behavior and in the organoleptic characteristics of the oil.
The results obtained in the 2023/2024 harvest are presented:
How do you foresee the evolution of the olive sector in the coming years? Do you think it will remain profitable? What precautions/concerns should a farmer/investor, who wishes to start an investment, have in the future?
The olive tree is a species perfectly adapted to the Mediterranean climate, and the culture of olive oil is established in the habits and customs of its population. Globally, we manage to produce olives in 64 different countries and consume oil in a total of 180 countries.
This heritage has been valued year after year, while olive oil has been the subject of scientific discoveries related to its beneficial effects on human health. As an essential part of the appreciated Mediterranean diet, this noble product continues to surprise and conquer new and diverse markets. For all these reasons, I believe that in the coming years, the evolution of the sector will be very positive, following the path of scientific development and alongside the already acquired ancestral knowledge.
When a new operator wishes to start a project in this sector and seeks us out, we try to understand what motivates them to make an investment of this nature, with the intention of advising the project in the most appropriate way.
It is interesting to see how new varieties and new agronomic models allow reducing the “payback period” in this crop and increasing profitability compared to others. Reducing unproductive periods and having income in the 2nd year of planting represents an attractive interest in this “agribusiness” sector.
In summary, for the investment to have the expected return, I find it essential to closely monitor the entire project, covering the agronomic, economic, and financial components.
