Table olives are closely linked to our way of life in Andalusia, they are part of our food culture and tradition. For centuries, they have been cultivated and harvested to spend the winter in water and salt and to be consumed after the cold season. Grandmothers teach their grandsons and granddaughters, who to this day keep the heritage alive by tending the olive trees of their ancestors. Traditionally, olives symbolise a form of sharing. They are harvested by several people, seasoned and finally eaten as a group. They are the perfect aperitif to satisfy the appetite while cooking at a family gathering or talking about the future over a glass of wine.

Nowadays, however, most olives no longer taste like olives. They are full of additives such as flavourings and preservatives that keep them for years before they are consumed. Look closely at the labels!

At Tierra y Libertad, however, we make them like in the old days. We only use water and salt and wait up to a whole year for them to ferment and lose their bitter taste. Once desalted, they can be flavoured (seasoned) in the traditional way with the herbs and condiments that are available all year round in Andalusia: garlic, thyme, rosemary, paprika, vinegar and much more.

We do not only want to preserve this ancient food craft for nostalgic reasons. Our producers are passionate about organic and sustainable farming – what good are our organic products if they have lost all their valuable nutrients at the end of the production process?

Our olives are preserved in brine (water and salt, nothing else) and therefore have numerous health benefits. Table olives are a source of fibre, healthy fats in the form of oleic acid, and vitamins. And if we allow them to keep their probiotics, they are a fantastic ingredient for our meals! Nowadays, table olives are often pasteurised to prolong their shelf life. This means that they meet food safety standards, but they are no longer alive. The longer they are left to be consumed, the less life they have inside.

Furthermore, conventional olives found in supermarkets (not organic olives) are usually cured in caustic soda (not brine), which leaves no trace in the olives, although it is forbidden in the context of organic farming. The brine is what allows fermentation, and fermentation is what creates the probiotics that are so sought after in today’s foods.

For this reason, we only use brine as a preservation method, and we use vacuum packaging, a disadvantage for the environment due to the use of plastic, but this method offers a living product with all the benefits in terms of our nutrition and health, as we do not undergo the olives to sterilisation processes. The shelf life is shorter (about 6 months) than olives in sterilised glass jars, but in return the olives retain all their probiotics and superb nutritional properties.

Olives have traditionally been an “ancient source” of probiotics and prebiotics. They are full of active probiotics involved in their fermentation. If you pasteurise, that is lost.

These olives are a journey into the past, to authentic flavours and knowledge passed down from generation to generation to preserve our food, environmental and cultural heritage.

And why produce table olives?

We don’t make them for health reasons. Where we are located, in the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, many families are forced to abandon their olive groves, which have been passed down from generation to generation. As they are situated on steep slopes, some of which can only be reached on foot or with donkeys and small carts, the work is labour-intensive, pure manpower.

Furthermore, brambles often proliferate on these natural slopes and the olive trees often have to be freed from their thorny clutches before harvesting. No machines can be used here, everything has to be done by hand, also to avoid damaging the valuable table olives during harvesting. Another important factor is the size of the (family) farms, which are often limited to a few people and therefore less profitable. A disproportionate amount of money and energy has to be invested to earn little (or even nothing at current market prices).

Because these venerable family heirlooms are so difficult to maintain, they are often neglected today. In other areas, they are even uprooted and other crops are planted in their place. In the Sierra de Aracena this is not yet done because the soil is not very fertile and there is not much market demand. At Tierra y Libertad we have set out to protect traditional agriculture by working with the farmers who still produce living olives to bring the original table olives back to the market.

It is in our interest to preserve these old olive groves, not only because they bear witness to the tradition of our countryside, but above all because they are adapted species that withstand periods of drought, temperature fluctuations and natural conditions very well. There is no better way to combat climate change than an olive tree, a vine or a fig tree. Rather than planting new species that consume a lot of water, it is better to enhance the value of our existing olive groves.

What many people do not realise is that agriculture in this region is traditionally closely linked to livestock, pigs and other animals, which is a diversification of the economy in this area. Humans and nature still live in close symbiosis here, with large areas and a varied range of feeds available to the animals on our farms, including olive groves.

And we must not forget that the Sierra de Aracena is an economically weak area, despite its natural abundance. It is the home of our families and we want our sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters to continue growing up in a healthy place in harmony with nature. We want them to know the authentic taste of the olive and to preserve the connection with the knowledge of their ancestors.

The project

For all these reasons, we are very interested in developing a model that gives a new and appropriate value to the olive groves of our mountains: not only the preservation of a traditional and environmentally friendly agriculture, of small family farms that have existed for generations, but also the preservation of our health through an ecological and living diet!

Therefore, we get in touch with the owners of abandoned olive groves that still produce olives. We talk to them about the health and care of their olive trees, the varieties available, the best harvesting dates and conditions to see if this could be in the interest of both the producer and the cooperative.

In this way, we hope not only to save our own olive groves, but also to support our colleagues and preserve the agricultural culture of our region.

By buying Tierra y Libertad table olives, you as well are taking part in this solidarity effort.