In Spain, there are more than 50,000 organic operators, and 83% are primary producers. As a result, you can enjoy a wide range of organic production experiences that will immerse you in smells, flavours and sensations. Gaining first-hand knowledge of the uniqueness of Spanish ecological products will awaken unforgettable emotions.
Organic oil mills: try ecotourism
There are excellent destinations to discover organic olive oil mills. These are the places where olive oil comes from the olive. In Spain, you can get visit them, since many have guided tours and spaces dedicated to museums.The Designation of Origin Aceite del Bajo Aragón is located between the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza. Its mills open to show you why we are talking about an extraordinary olive oil from a completely natural production system. During the entire production process, including collection and storage, no fertilisers or other chemical or artificial products are used.
In this Aragonese region, you can savour olive oil like it was produced 400 years ago. Everything is more or less the same there: its presses, its machinery, its settling tanks…Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Olive Oil Montes de Toledo also strives for 100% natural olive oil. Located in Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real), this is an area of high ecological value next to the Cabañeros Nature Reserve. The Cornicabra Awards are presented there every year, including the Best Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and the Master Miller award. They will show you the difference between a virgin oil and an extra virgin oil, and you will learn what the oil acidity is and what it should taste like. And if your curiosity goes even further, ask for new recipes with EVOO. They will surprise you!
But any talk of EVOO means going to the south. In the Cordoba (Andalusia) small producers open their olive oil mills, situated in the middle of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, to offer you what many consider to be the best organic oil in the world. You can book guided tours that will introduce you to the world of olive oil and explain in detail how a traditional oil mill works.And from Cordoba, but still within Andalusia, we go to the province of Jaen, the largest producer of Organic EVOO. There, it is known as “liquid gold”. Plus, surprising tastings and guided tours will emphasise that they only use natural organic fertilisers, without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers of any kind, thus returning to the land everything that the land gives us.
Eco farms, a whirlwind of sensations for your senses
Have you ever thought about visiting an eco farm? In this type of facility, fresh foodstuffs of plant and animal origin are produced using processes based on respect for the environment. They comprise three axes of action: clean soil, water and air, animals in open spaces that are treated with dignity, and crops that respect the natural cycles of plants.
In order to thoroughly explore an eco farm, you must book a guided tour. You'll greet animals grazing in the meadows, they'll show you how organic yoghurts are produced, you'll feed goats and sheep, and if you dare, they can even teach you how to milk a cow!The most complete eco farms have green and wide pastures and a great variety of animals. They are found mainly in Asturias, Cantabria and The Basque Country. And don't forget to taste their exquisite products right there!
Organic dairies, to learn more about one of the oldest food products in the world
In the region of A Ulloa (Lugo), artisanal farms produce the cheese known as PDO Arzúa-Ulloa. Organic farming and livestock provide this cheese with hard-to-match quality. It is a creamy cheese made with whole milk from cows that graze freely on pastures and meadows in the heart of Galicia.On the islands of Mallorca and Menorca, the local cheese is one of their star products. There are numerous cheese factories open for visitors where you can taste their product during a tour – with a good slice of bread with sobrasada, naturally.
The Majorcan red sheep is the star of extraordinary cheeses and yoghurts, as it is an ideal breed for producing high-quality milk. The reasons for this include its equally organic diet, based on pastureland, fodder, almonds and carob. You must try the PDO PDO Mahón-Menorca cheese. In the cheese factories on the island of Menorca, you can feel like a real “farmer”, as their master artisan cheese makers will encourage you to put your hands in the cheese and help to prepare it.
If you have already had good food and drink, there are alternative visits that are a delight to your sense of touch and eyesight. The sheep not only offer you their milk! In Asturias, you can discover the Wool Route, an initiative that recovers the textile tradition through different artisan expressions using the wool from xalda sheep, a breed of Celtic origin and one of the oldest in Europe.
Sustainable wine tourism: discover organic vineyards
Spain is renowned for its wine, on the strength of its quality and variety. Organic production is a new impetus for the Spanish wine sector. There are more than a hundred Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) for wine. At any of them, you can visit an organic winery, where they will teach you the difference between traditional and organic wine. Click here to download a map with all the Spanish PDOs. Plan your trip properly!
You can also put down the glass and raise a mug to refresh yourself with organic cider in Asturias. The Asturian cider presses use natural elements to replace chemicals for their production, and undertake projects for the recovery of native apple seeds.
