On the slopes high above the town of Baena, brothers Don Paco and Don Felipe Núñez de Prado give me a grand tour of their olive groves. The pride they take in the organic cultivation of their trees is clear to see.

“The healthier the trees, the better the oil,” Paco tells me. A charming and dapper man, he heads a family business that has been producing oil for seven generations at the same mill in Baena.

 He explains the care they take at every stage of growing, harvesting and pressing the olives, in order to perform the age-old alchemy of turning these small black fruit into liquid gold. This is his passion. A passion that results in Núñez de Prado producing some of the finest olive oil in the world. An oil for the best-dressed salads, for drizzling and dipping.

Baena, lying south-east of Córdoba, has long been celebrated for its olive oil. It bears one of Spain’s treasured denominación de origen labels, guaranteeing its quality. This label also covers the neighbouring villages of Zuheros, Luque and Doña Mencía – and includes oil from private mills as well as co-operatives. Spain is the world’s leading producer of olive oil, 80% of which comes from Andalucía – the biggest olive-growing region in the world. As you drive through this area, wave after wave of hillsides roll by, covered with endless rows of olive trees stretching over the hazy horizon like a giant candlewick counterpane. Poet Lorca said the hills seem “to open and close like a fan” as you pass.

 Most of these groves are carpeted with bare earth, but on the sprawling Núñez de Prado estate, the ground beneath the trees grows lush green.

 “Our neighbours think we’re crazy to let weeds grow,” smiles Paco. “But we’ve found everything is much better without chemicals.” He points out hares and partridges scuttling through the wildflowers.

While most farmers beat their trees with sticks or shake them with mechanical harvesters, Núñez de Prado olives are picked by hand. This protects the olives and trees from damage. “It’s important not to bruise the fruit as this causes acidity, spoiling the flavour. The best oil has low acidity,” Paco explains.

Read the full articule in our October 2009 issue.