Picual, Hojiblanca, Arbequina: Three Spanish Characters, Single or Blended

Spain grows more olive varieties than any buyer needs to remember, but three of them define most of the extra virgin oil on the market: Picual, Hojiblanca and Arbequina. We bottle them separately and, on request, combine them into a blend built for a specific use — a restaurant kitchen, a retail shelf, a private label. This article explains what each variety contributes and how to decide between a single-variety oil and a blend.

Three varieties, three characters

Picual is the most planted olive in Spain and the backbone of Andalusian oil. Its oil is intense: green and herbaceous on the nose, markedly bitter and peppery on the palate. It is also the most stable of the three — high in oleic acid and natural antioxidants — which is why it holds up well in cooking and keeps its character longest after opening.

Hojiblanca sits in the middle. The oil is fruity with notes of green grass and almond, balanced bitterness and a peppery finish that arrives late. It is the variety most people describe as "classic Spanish": present, but not dominant.

Arbequina is the smallest fruit and gives the mildest oil: soft, sweet, with ripe apple and banana notes and very little bitterness. It is the variety for people who find Picual too assertive, and the usual choice for dressing delicate dishes, fish and desserts.

Single-variety or blend?

A single-variety oil shows one character clearly. That is what a sommelier, a tasting menu or a premium retail label usually wants: the oil is the message.

A blend solves a different problem — consistency and purpose. A kitchen that uses oil in volume needs the same taste from one case to the next, at a price point that works, with enough bitterness to carry cooked dishes and enough fruit to finish a plate. That balance is easier to hit by combining varieties than by picking one. The same logic applies to a retail range: a mild blend for everyday use next to a single-variety Picual for the top shelf.

We work both ways. The three varieties are available on their own, and a blend is composed to the buyer's brief — the proportions are agreed before the batch, not improvised in the bottle.

What is fixed on the label

Whatever the variety or blend, the product on the label is the same: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100% olive oil, obtained from olives by mechanical means only, with no additives and no blending with other oils. The oil is bottled in dark glass in 250 ml, 500 ml and 1 L, and in a 5 L tin or PET canister for professional kitchens. Best before: 24 months. Storage: 6–25 °C away from light; below about 15 °C the oil may cloud, which does not affect quality.

Two versions exist: conventional and organic. The organic version is covered by our CAEM certificate ES-ECO-023-MA under Regulation (EU) 2018/848 — the product "Aceite de oliva virgen extra — Ecológico" is listed on the certificate, and the official document is available for verification.

How to specify in an enquiry

State the use (retail, HoReCa, private label), the format (250 ml, 500 ml, 1 L or 5 L), the version (conventional or organic) and whether you want a single variety or a blend. If you want a blend, describe the taste you need — "mild, for salads and finishing" or "robust, for cooking" is enough to start. We confirm availability, the proposed composition and the documents for the chosen product.