The Olive Mill
The Herdade do Esporão mill was designed and built in 2016 to adhere to circular economy principles by which all the olive oils are produced sustainably and nothing is lost in production. Within hours of the harvest, the fruit arrives in the mill for careful sorting by variety and quality before being pressed. Low temperature extraction ensures that the nutrients, aromas, and flavours are preserved. We guarantee that the people, product, and nature itself is afforded the maximum possible care throughout by the use of:
• Innovative solutions that ensure cold extraction below 27ºC.
• Composting and treatment of the olive pomace that assure zero waste.
• An onsite treatment facility so that the water can be reused.
• Producing energy from olive pits to be used for electricity and water heating across the Estate.
Ana Carrilho - Oleologist
Ana Carrilho’s interest in olive oil began when, as part of her Agronomy degree at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia de Lisboa, she took a course entitled Oil and Fat Technology. She’d always enjoyed a challenge and the Portuguese olive oil market as the time offered her just that. Her quest for knowledge took her to Italy where she joined the research and development department of the largest olive oil company in the world, Carapelli.
Olive oil became a passion and she returned to Portugal as a guest researcher at the university where she had studied previously. She also spent two years studying in Spain, building three olive mills. Ana is an olive oil taster in numerous national and international competitions, an advocate for native olive varieties and for quality. She is now Director oft he Esporão’s Olive Oil Business Unit, whose story began in 2013.