Karey Agrícola
Karey Agrícola, S.L., under the Karey brand name, markets ecological Extra Virgin Olive Oil, produced 100% from arbequina olives.
Our primary aim is to obtain ecological extra virgin olive oil of the highest level, with respect for the environment and maintaining soil fertility by means of the optimisation of natural resources and without the use of chemicals.
In this way, we undertake the farm work of our olives, from which we obtain the best ecological Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Karey quality is the direct consequence of a process of elaboration carried out in an integral manner in order to guarantee an Extra Virgin Olive Oil which is unique in terms of quality and personality.
The Olive Grove
Our olive grove, located on the “Padillares” estate in Alfaro, La Rioja spreads over some 70 hectares with olive trees, within a total surface area of 200 hectares. The entire grove is of the arbequina variety.
The land area covered and location of our estate forms a natural barrier, thus avoiding contamination from phytosanitary measures from other crops and thereby guaranteeing the ecological nature of our product.
Ecological Cultivation
Farm work in relation to the olive is carried out in accordance with methods of Ecological Agriculture, under which the use of chemical fertilizers or herbicides is not allowed, nor of any product that might generate toxic waste and thereby cause damage to the environment.
Our plantation comes under the Protected Designation of Origin “Oil of La Rioja” and analysis sampling is regularly undertaken by the Control Body of the Agriculture Ministry of La Rioja whose official laboratories certify, on an annual basis, the designation of Ecological Agriculture under European Regulation 2092/91 for Ecological Agriculture, which guarantees that the ecological virgin extra olive oil meets all requirements and offers guarantees at each and every stage, from the elaboration process to the final customer.
Our production yields are limited (no more than 3000 kg of olive per hectare, with 19% fat content) which, combined with the particular land characteristics, allow us to achieve a sublime extra virgin olive oil with exquisite organoleptic properties that distinguish it from other brands.
Harvest
The quality of an extra virgin olive oil mainly depends on the quality of the olive prior to processing. To achieve the best quality olive oil it is necessary to have a healthy olive, recently collected from the tree, at a moment of optimum ripeness.
It is for this reason that, here at Karey, the collection period of our arbequina begins at the end of November, having previously checked the optimum moment of ripeness by means of exhaustive control measures.
We are particularly careful that the olives do not undergo any mistreatment during collection and that transport to the oil mill, just one kilometre from the plantation, is carried out swiftly and with the utmost care. For this reason our process is performed mechanically in order to reduce to a minimum the time between collection and entry into the oil mill.
Extraction
The aim of the grinding process is to break up the olive tissues in order to release the oil droplets. Our olives are processed in less than an hour from the time of collection to achieve the required sublime quality. We carry out grinding at low speed to avoid overheating of the paste.
The entire process is carried out without heat treatment, at below 22ºC. Fat content is lower at this temperature while guaranteeing the conservation of vitamin and aroma properties, achieving a supreme quality oil cream. Our oil conserves all the characteristics of extra virgin for a period of at least three years.
Conservation
Using stainless-steel tanks and maintaining a constant temperature, our oil decanters impurities and micro-particles in suspension that remain after centrifugation. Once decantered, by a natural process in the same tanks, we bottle without filtering (‘RAMA’, or ‘Unfiltered’) to avoid elimination of vitamins and antioxidants, and so a small sediment of the olive may appear at the bottom of the bottle.
Packing is performed at the moment of receiving orders so as to reduce to a minimum the time between optimum storage conditions (out of direct sunlight, at controlled temperature to conserve all antioxidant properties) and final consumption.
It is important to highlight that we keep a thorough traceability from harvest to consumption. All elements of the elaboration process are made of stainless steel, a material of high standards in the food industry with high mechanical and corrosion resistance providing for a total absence of residual particles.