Aceite Finca Duernas

Duernas Estate

Finca Duernas is a historic olive estate and oil mill located in the province of Córdoba, in Andalusia, whose relationship with agriculture and oil production has been maintained for generations. The house itself speaks of 200 years of tradition in oil production, although one of the fundamental moments in its history occurred in 1870, when Alberto Méndez Sánchez and Soledad de Córdova y González de Aguilar took charge of the property and decisively boosted olive cultivation.

Since then, different generations of the family have continued to develop the estate. In the 1940s, Ana Méndez de Córdova and Bernardo López Baena modernized its facilities to the point where Duernas was considered a Model Estate in 1943, becoming pioneers of modern agriculture in Andalusia. Decades later, Soledad López Méndez and Juan Manuel Serrano de la Cruz expanded the olive grove, introduced drip irrigation to the estate, and built the current oil mill, known as Oleoduernas.

Currently, Josemaría Serrano López and Soledad Serrano López represent the fourth generation at the helm of the project. Starting in 2010, they promoted the conversion of the olive grove to organic farming and developed the Duernas brand, taking their extra virgin olive oils to more than 20 countries. The family philosophy continues to be based on the same principles that have accompanied the estate for generations: respect for the land, care for people, and a constant pursuit of improvement and quality.

Organic Arbequina and Picual produced in their own oil mill

Finca Duernas' production is closely linked to two olive varieties: Arbequina and Picual. Both are cultivated under an organic model and allow the mill to produce oils with very different profiles, demonstrating how the variety, environment, and time of harvest can determine the final personality of an extra virgin olive oil.

Duernas' Arbequina possesses particular characteristics due to the conditions of the estate and its location in the Guadalquivir Valley. Unlike the generally sweet and delicate character associated with this variety, Duernas' Arbequina combines a fruity and sweet entry with light bitter notes and a more persistent spicy finish. Its aromatic profile is highlighted by notes of tomato and banana, resulting in a fresh oil with a personality of its own.

On the other hand, its organic Picual presents a more intense character, with aromas of green grass, aromatic herbs, and olive leaves. On the palate, bitter and spicy nuances appear, accompanied by hints of green almond and artichoke. The mill itself also highlights its content of polyphenols and vitamin E.

One of the fundamental factors in the quality of its EVOO is the speed of production. Finca Duernas carries out an early harvest and has the mill located in the very heart of the estate, considerably reducing the distance the olives must travel once separated from the tree. Milling is carried out with particular care and short processing times to preserve the freshness, aromas, and natural components of the fruit. In addition to its monovarietals, the estate produces options such as Duernas Origen, an organic blend of Arbequina and Picual made with olives harvested at the veraison stage.

An organic olive grove with centuries of history in the Guadalquivir Valley

The territory is inseparable from the identity of Finca Duernas. Its olive groves are located in the Vega del Guadalquivir, in Córdoba, an area with a thousand-year-old connection to olive oil. The estate itself recalls that during the Roman era, the territories of the ancient province of Baetica were one of the great centers of olive oil production and supply for the Roman Empire, meaning the current cultivation of olives is part of an agricultural tradition that spans centuries.

Even the name Duernas possesses an important historical component. The first documented reference to the name Duernas dates back to 1236, when it appeared in the distribution of land carried out by Ferdinand III after the Christian conquest of Córdoba. As the estate explains, its name is related to ancient Royal Salt Mines fed by streams existing within the property, showcasing the natural and agricultural wealth that has historically characterized this territory.

Currently, the olive grove is managed following an organic and sustainable philosophy, continuing the transformation initiated by the fourth family generation in 2010. The goal is to care for the natural environment in which the trees grow and ensure that agricultural activity can coexist with the balance of the estate's ecosystem. This relationship with nature also inspires projects like Duernas Origen, through which the family seeks to conceptually recover that Mediterranean landscape where grass, fauna, and olive groves coexisted with limited human intervention.

The location of the mill within the estate itself completes this link between field and oil. The olives do not need to travel long distances after harvest, allowing the work done throughout the year in the olive groves to have immediate continuity in the mill. In this way, the landscape of the Vega del Guadalquivir, organic farming, the history of the property, and four generations of the same family converge in oils deeply tied to their place of origin.