Seedlings planted in farms are produced in our nurseries under stringent sanitary conditions. Our nurseries are fitted with sprinkle and mist irrigation systems, plus the implementation of good agricultural practices, which allow us to produce high genetic and sanitary quality products under standards that guarantee each plant sanitation, high production yield and excellent fruit quality. They consist of:
• A 5,000 sq. meter covered area allocated to rooting seedlings in beds, with controlled temperature and humidity levels by means of an automatic heater and cooler regulation system.
• 8,000 sq. meter greenhouse where, after rooting, seedlings are kept under nutritious conditions.
Our farms, from where we obtain a high percentage of raw materials used in the production process, are located in the Argentine Northern region, at the La Rioja, San Juan and Catamarca provinces. Our grove contains over 847,000 olive trees that are grown in a mountainous environment characterized by its natural sanitation.
It is a semiarid climate, with strong continentality, low humidity levels, high daily insolation, atmospheric clarity and seasonal rains that vary from 100 mm a year in San Juan to 500 mm in Catamarca. Sandy, sandy loam and clayey loam soils are ideal for growing strong olive groves that bear top quality fruit.
In Aimogasta, Arauco department, La Rioja province, the new plantations have 412 to 476 plants/ha with a cutting-edge drip irrigation system, where over 480,000 olive plants are grown. Between the provinces of San Juan and Catamarca, we cultivate 987 ha. We have a total of 2,435 ha of olive groves.
The strict care each plant receives as well as the utmost respect for the environment ensure excellent raw materials for the production of virgin and extra virgin olive oil and table olives that meet the highest quality standards and satisfy the most demanding palates.
At Aimogasta, department of Arauco, province de La Rioja our main production plant is located; there, the table olives, pickles and part of the extra virgin olive oil that are marketed in the domestic and international markets are produced.
It has an installed production and storage capacity of approximately 44,000,000 kilos of olives a year and a packing capacity of up to 200,000 kg a day. It produces different olive varieties: Aloreña, Manzanilla Fina, Picual, Hojiblanca and Arauco.
This industrial complex also produces olive oil with a daily olive grinding of 150,000 kilos that yields approximately 20,000 kilos of extra virgin olive oil a day. It has a storage capacity of 2,100,000 kilos.
The main olive oil production plant is located at the San Juan province. We use Italian technology that consists of two state-of-the-art lines based on a two-phase continuous olive oil extraction system that guarantees all the nutritious and organoleptic properties of our oils are preserved.
For Agro Aceitunera S.A, quality is one of the essential pillars our work philosophy is based on.
That is why, in addition to investing in state-of-the-art equipment and technology, we constantly seek to ensure our product quality through a team of qualified professionals and workers who cooperate day after day towards a common goal: producing high-quality products under the highest standards and taking them to all tables in the world.
Therefore, our industrial plants have implemented an HACCP-certified
(Hazard analysis and critical control points) quality management system; this standard is a systematic prevention system aimed at ensuring food safety and we are also
Kosher-certified.
Our mission is to work on continuous improvement and, therefore, we are focused on obtaining a Global Gap certification for our proprietary farms.
Our labs are staffed with a technical team of 4 leads and 13 analysts, equally distributed among the different process stages.
Our quality system is made up of the following departments:
The excellence and quality of our oil becomes evident in our raw material: the Nucete extra virgin pure olive oil. Not only through the chemical analysis, where acidity may be the most common parameter for classification, but also the organoleptic analysis which is basically tasting the oil and determining whether it presents any defects.
Our best and most renowned oil, the Premium extra virgin olive oil, is classified as one of the best, not only based on chemical analyses, but also due to the fact that it has no defects and features a mature/sweet flavor that has earned it a Special Award
at ArgOliva 2018.
Presentation, container design, supplementary elements and packaging are also distinctive features of our products. That is why we are constantly implementing improvements and redesigning not only the bottle but also other supplementary elements that are ideal for savoring the best extra virgin olive oil.
This lab is in charge of controlling raw materials from their entrance to the fermentation stage. Its purpose is to control fermentation and then release the raw materials for the subsequent processes. To do so, it has a digital system to perform the follow up and traceability of raw materials.
This department is in charge of performing in-process products, supplies and finished products. This lab plays an essential role in obtaining top-quality finished products that meet the regulations in force as well as customer specifications.
