Aceite Melgarejo

Melgarejo

Melgarejo is a family business dedicated to the production of extra virgin olive oil in Pegalajar, in the province of Jaén, a territory deeply marked by olive culture. The family’s history is closely linked to the land and olive oil production, with a tradition dating back to the 18th century that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Currently, five generations of the Melgarejo family are part of this journey. Over the years, the family has maintained a philosophy based on knowledge of the olive grove, careful selection of the olives, and a constant pursuit of quality. This accumulated experience has allowed them to evolve from ancient traditional production methods into a modern mill recognized for its high-end EVOO.

One of the aspects that best defines Melgarejo is precisely this combination of tradition and innovation. The family has witnessed the evolution of olive oil production from the old stone mills to current extraction systems, incorporating new technologies without abandoning the field knowledge inherited from previous generations.

Today, from their facilities in Pegalajar, Melgarejo continues to develop a project in which family, olive grove, and mill remain closely united. Their oils have won numerous awards and represent a way of understanding EVOO based on caring for the raw material and ensuring that each variety displays its own personality.

Picual and different varieties to showcase the full diversity of EVOO

Picual holds a fundamental place in Melgarejo's production. It is the most representative variety of Jaén and an olive deeply linked to the family's history. They produce different oils from it, including premium references obtained from a specially curated selection of fruits harvested in the early stages of the season.

To produce their Picual Premium, the harvest is concentrated during the month of October, working with olives that are still green and prioritizing quality over yield. Some of these fruits come from high-altitude olive groves at Finca El Cuchillejo, where the terrain's characteristics require combining mechanical harvesting systems with traditional methods in areas where machinery is difficult to access.

Early harvesting allows for exceptionally fresh, intense, and aromatic oils. Melgarejo’s Picual displays a distinct vegetal character, with notes of grass, tomato, olive leaf, and green fruits, accompanied by the characteristic balance between bitterness and pungency that this variety provides.

However, Melgarejo does not limit its production exclusively to Picual. The mill has developed an interesting range of monovarietals and blends by also working with other olives, including Arbequina, Hojiblanca, and Frantoio, which allows for a showcase of very different sensory profiles within the same house.

Each variety is studied and harvested at the right moment to obtain the desired profile. The speed at which the olives are processed, the temperature control during production, and the subsequent selection of the oils are part of a process designed to maximize the preservation of their natural characteristics. In this way, Melgarejo succeeds in conveying to every bottle not only the particularities of the variety used, but also the work previously carried out in the olive grove.

Mountain olive groves in the surroundings of Pegalajar

The countryside is an inseparable part of Melgarejo's identity. The family carries out its activity from Pegalajar, in the province of Jaén, within a landscape where olive groves stretch across valleys, hillsides, and mountainous terrain. The characteristics of this area mean that many plots have very different conditions compared to the large olive groves located on completely flat land.

One of its most representative locations is the El Cuchillejo estate, whose high-altitude olive groves provide some of the olives used for the house's most select products. The complex topography of certain plots prevents full mechanization of the harvest, so Melgarejo adapts the harvesting process to the specific characteristics of each plot.

The altitude, slopes, and particular conditions of the terrain influence both the development of the trees and the ripening of their fruit. This requires constant monitoring of the olive groves throughout the year and careful determination of when harvesting should begin in each area.

This attention to the countryside is part of a philosophy passed down through generations. Knowledge of the trees, the evolution of the olives, and the characteristics of each harvest are fundamental factors before the fruit even reaches the oil mill. For Melgarejo, producing a great oil begins precisely with that daily work carried out in the olive groves.

The landscape of Pegalajar and the mountainous areas of Jaén thus becomes a fundamental part of the personality of their EVOO. The combination of territory, olive varieties, family experience, and selection of the harvest time allows Melgarejo to produce oils closely linked to one of the world's great olive-growing territories.