Our history

Producing olive oil since 1429

We are the sixteenth generation of a family that has been making oil since the fifteenth century with olives from our olive groves in Monteagudo, in the Ribera de Navarra.

More than 160 years ago our oil received national and international awards. At present we have renovated our olive groves and we reserve a small batch of our best olives to produce by hand an Extra Virgin Olive Oil with all the flavor of our land.

Chronology

Sixteen generations of the family have succeeded one another over the course of six hundred years. Each one of them has been able to adapt to its time and, building on the respect for the family tradition, has used the most advanced techniques and scientific knowledge of each moment to modernize the farm, making it more efficient and obtaining the best possible oils.

XV century
XVI century
XVII century
XVIII century
XVIII century
XIX century
XIX century
End of XIX century
Beginning of XX century
End of XX century
Today

The origin

Our family has been producing olive oil in the Ribera de Navarra since 1429, when the kings of Navarra granted the lordship of Monteagudo to Mosen Floristán de Agramont.

Purchase of olive groves

From the first moment great importance was given to the cultivation of olive trees and additions were made to the original lands of the manor. For example, in 1593 an olive grove was acquired for the high sum of 23 ducats.

Reconstruction

In 1709, after the War of the Spanish Succession, the fields were devastated and the family was almost ruined, so Francisco Magallón, Marquis of San Adrián and sixteenth Lord of Monteagudo, initiated an ambitious reconstruction program and replanted olive groves in the most favorable lands.

Modernization

During the 18th century, this same Francisco Magallón and his son José María became the main promoters of the Enlightenment in Navarra and founded the Real Sociedad Económica Tudelana, which dedicated its efforts to the agricultural and industrial modernization of Navarra. One of the reports that the Society presented was precisely on the improvements to be introduced in the cultivation of olive trees and the production of olive oil.

New investments

The next Marquis of San Adrián, José María Magallón y Armendáriz, known for the magnificent portrait of him painted by Goya and preserved in the Museum of Navarra, continued the policy of investing in the planting or purchase of olive groves and in the modernization of olive oil mills.

First acknowledgements

In 1850 our family has in Monteagudo 450 robadas of olive grove (about 40 hectares) and the oil represents 50% of their income in that locality. Our oil is recognized for its quality and in 1857 obtained the bronze medal at the Agricultural Products Exhibition in Madrid.

Expansion

In the second half of the 19th century, the Monteagudo mill was expanded again with the installation of a new cast iron screw press, which in 1886 was replaced by a hydraulic press that would remain in operation until the beginning of the following century.

International awards

During those years our olive oil continued to win prizes in different exhibitions in Spain, and in 1893 it even obtained a diploma from the United States Congress, within the framework of the Chicago International Exposition, for its "fine flavor and fruity aroma".

New olive mill and difficult times

In 1920 a new oil mill was built, which operated at full capacity until several cold winters in the 1950s damaged many of the olive trees in the area. At that time many of the olive groves were replaced by other crops and oil production in Monteagudo declined.

New momentum

At the end of the 20th century, taking advantage of the ideal climate and soil conditions, the olive grove gained new momentum and new plantations were established in Monteagudo, using modern cultivation systems.

Tradition + technology

Today, the current generation of the Marquises of San Adrián continues the family olive-growing tradition, which they combine with the most advanced technology to produce Castillo de Monteagudo extra virgin olive oil with Arbequina olives from their best farms.

Our land

Our olive groves are located in the Queiles Valley, in the municipality of Monteagudo, in the south of Navarra, at the intersection of Aragón, Castilla and La Rioja, a land bounded by the Moncayo with its 2314 meters of altitude, the Ebro River and its fertile Ribera and the Bardenas Reales, a semi-desert area.

Our values

As we learned from our elders, we use our resources responsibly to avoid their depletion, ensuring their sustainability in order to pass them on to the next generation. We reduce the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary products to the minimum necessary, which is helped by the ideal conditions of our farms.

Studies carried out by the Eco-Efficient Cropping Systems Group of the University of Cordoba in hedgerow olive groves similar to those we have in Monteagudo conclude that they have a positive balance in the carbon footprint, with carbon capture far exceeding energy emissions. According to this study, 1.24 kg of CO2 eq are captured for each liter of oil produced, a figure equivalent to that emitted by 40 cars during a whole year. Consuming our olive oil, therefore, is as beneficial for our health as it is for the planet.

There are companies that work thinking about the next quarter, most of them plan for the next fiscal year, and a few plan for three or five years. When a project like ours has been in existence for 600 years through sixteen generations, the vision is very different: we do not act thinking about the next quarters or fiscal years, but about the generations that will follow us. This vision is reflected in everything we do.

We allocate 1% of our extra virgin olive oil production to NGOs for use in soup kitchens. In addition, we cooperate with our community and other institutions by organizing and participating in different training, informative and social projects and activities.

We spare no effort or investment in olive grove management and oil production, using only the best olives and always prioritizing quality over yield. At the same time, we carry out a strict cost control and limit to the maximum all superfluous and structural expenses. This allows us to offer an extra virgin olive oil of the highest quality at a reasonable price. An oil for those who value essence over appearance; for those who prefer being to seeming.

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The castle

Built more than a thousand years ago, it dominates the Queiles Valley, a landscape between the Moncayo and the Ebro, dotted with olive groves, vineyards and cereal fields, the same products that the Romans cultivated in these lands 2,000 years ago.