The so-called “liquid gold”, Spanish olive oil is more than just a high-quality product. It claims its throne (and reputation) in the market thanks to the work of brands such as Casa Hierro (Mugaburu group), a small producer that have positioned their organic extra virgin olive oil in the top ten of the healthiest EVOOs in the world.
“The great passion of the family has always been food. Good eating ” explains Itziar García, Communication Director of Mugaburu, a company that started its journey in the real estate sector and now has two food brands, Casa Hierro and NAGUSI. In the latter case, the leading roll is the wagyu meat but the crown jewel is their olive oil, produced in the lands of Argamasilla de Alba, Ciudad Real, where olive trees, vineyards and pistachios are grown in their more than 1,200 hectares.
Awarded three consecutive times as “the best EVOO producer in the Basque Country” or with the ninth place in The World Best Healthy EVOO Contest, this olive oil, -with a limited production- is a combination of two varieties of olives: the picual and the cornicabra, achieving a sweet, spicy and bitter flavour with fruity notes. A very balanced and interesting olive oil.
Your olive oil is artisan and organic, what does it mean exactly?
Yes, it means that it is extracted in its purity without adding any type of additive and without any kind of manipulation. And of course, taking maximum care of the land and the cultivation of olive groves.
You have been 9th in the list of the healthiest olive oils in the world. What properties does your olive oil have?
It is a coupage of cornicabra and picual and it has certain characteristic properties of these varieties such as polyphenols that define whether an olive oil is more or less healthy than others. Ours has a higher level of polyphenols than others.
We work with artisans of the olive grove, more than farmers. They take maximum care of the process to get this product that we do not want to be massive. We want to have something selective, special and differentiating. It is aimed at those who really value oil.
It is a limited edition of oil. How many liters in total do you make?
About 10,000 liters.
One of the challenges for Spain is that, although we have a great asecto like olive oil, we ase fraud and traceability problems. How do you deal with it at Casa Hierro?
The industry has been damaged, right, but the labeling allows us to show that we are ecological and where our olive oil comes from. We work as we know, with total transparency and in the best possible way. It is true that there is a lot of competition here and internationally.
At the same time, we are in a different segment. We prefer to position ourselves where we believe our olive oil is worth. We want to take care of our people and take care of the olive grove in the best possible way. This is achieved by investing time, money and people. We do not enter into a price war, it is not our philosophy. We prefer to have a niche product.
What is your target?
Our clients are gourmet shops and delicatessens. We are also other shops from 11€. We believe that whoever makes an economic effort with our olive oil, he or she values the product more. Olive oil is a genuine Spanish producto and we want to put it in value, also through price.
You also have the olive oil pearls. What exactly are they?
They can be used in salads, toast or sushi, for example. They are spherifications made with our olive oil and it is a more gourmet meal product, for restaurants for example.
What motivated you to be part of Spainery?
First of all, the service it offers: it is a luxury to have it when you are a small company like us. Spainery allows us to be in places where we could not be otherwise. In addition, the selection of other products is amazing and you take care of their quality… and the personal treatment you offer, of course!
You can find Casa Hierro Olive Oil here
