The multiple meanings of green

Far from romanticizing and idealizing the past, as we stroll among olive trees one December morning, Joan Mayol tells us how the Oli Verderol adventure began: "In the 1960s, many people set up dairy farms in Mallorca, just as my father did, but to produce milk alfalfa was needed and, consequently, a lot of water. When the price of energy began to rise in the mid-1970s, many people left the sector. After all, "it was very expensive to produce milk on such an arid island". Benito, Joan's father, opted then for a cost-cutting strategy.

That's how he switched from producing milk to producing meat. The business worked for a while thanks to the help of Pedro, a man who lived in the area and was in charge of the daily maintenance of the animals, as Benito also ran a gun shop - the famous and now extinct Armeria Benito, once located in Porta de Sant Antoni. We already anticipated this at the beginning: the origin of this oil, its history, is quite peculiar.

After the death of their father, the Mayol brothers decided to close the armory, sell the 40 cows and rethink the future of the land. They hesitated between the vineyard and the olive grove, two options historically rooted to the island, and finally opted for the latter. "We thought we would make more money with the oil, but the truth is that we planted the first olive trees in 2006 and the initial  investment still hasn't paid off," acknowledges Joan with a gesture of resignation, but with no apparent trace of regret.

Currently, Oli Verderol has 2,600 olive trees spread between the two lands, a small olive grove at the business level but viable, especially considering that its production model is organic from the very beginning. And it is so out of conviction, "as a matter of absolute respect for nature," says Mayolol. Complying with the strict standards dictated by the eco-label, they nourish the soil with pruning residues and organic fertilizers, and dispense with artificial products and herbicides. A respectful way of doing things for an oil that is very well received in northern European countries, especially in Germany, because there, Joan believes, "they are more concerned about health and the environment".

In addition, this oil produced just three kilometers from the center of Palma has gained expert recognition in a Japanese contest and its version Rei Sanç -the result of an alliance with several organic producers on the island- won the public award at the Biofach fair in Nuremberg, a renowned event held annually and attended by companies from all corners of the world that produce organic products.

The trio of Mallorcan varieties empeltre, arbequina and picual are the queens of the brand with designation of origin. The first is the most traditional, the second is small and aromatic, and the last gives the oil a certain intense and bitter touch, a reflection of the antioxidants it contains, essential for the conservation of the oil and full of benefits for our body. In addition, they also have two foreign varieties: the hojiblanca from Córdoba, delicious both at the table and for making oil, and the intense frantoio, emblem of Tuscany. Between them, they produce about 12,000 bottles a year, but each season is different. "We fight against the cheap product of poor quality and against the lack of culture about oil. How can it be that people are willing to pay 20 euros for a bottle of wine, but not 10 for a bottle of oil?", Joan ponders aloud.

It is true that a change is taking place. Local, nearby and environmentally friendly products are increasingly valued on the island, but as Mayol says, the evolution is slow. In order to contribute to the culturalization of such a Mediterranean and essential product in our daily life, Oli Verderol organizes guided tours and oil tastings, sells to stores on the island and collaborates with other producers in the Reis de Mallorca project, which helps them create synergies with a view to the foreign market.