Respect nature and tradition
to produce superior quality olive oils
Borba City Hall Museum
THE AZ-ZAIT TRADITION
Our tradition goes back to the Visigothic civilization, the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula and the Islamic occupation of the Alentejo. It is from the Arab occupation of our territory that the word olive oil originates from the word az-zait, which means "olive juice". The olive groves of the associated producers of the Cooperative of Olivicultores de Borba are, in essence, the last guardians of authentic natural treasures represented by ancient olive trees that are probably among the oldest living beings in the world.
HISTORY
The olive oil production of the Cooperative of Olivicultores de Borba demonstrates unequivocally the advantages of the traditional olive grove. According to the president, Paulo Velhinho, "The traditional olive grove has an exceptional capacity to overcome itself and manages, on its own, to yield". Resistance, Commitment and passion, these are the feelings that have always been present in the history of this Cooperative. After being founded by three initiative Borbenses, with few partners, after a year it already totaled 129. It emerged as a Social Mill, creating a cooperative movement, to face crises and, from the start, it was considered one of the broadest , modern and well equipped in the country. Today, an organization in constant development, which has shown a resilient reaction in all moments of crisis, always working with art and knowledge, producing a unique olive oil, of different quality, the result of a sustainable and traditional olive cultivation, existing in the Borba region. .
Founded on April 10, 1951, the Cooperative of Olivicultores de Borba is one of the oldest in Portugal in the olive oil sector. It consists of about 650 olive growers, all of them small and medium-sized olive producers. The members of the Cooperative of Olivicultores de Borba are small owners of traditional olive groves, and about 80% even represent small parcels of land.
OLIVE OIL EXTRACTION
Our olive oil is extracted only by mechanical methods, using two extraction lines, installed in an ecological mill without producing harmful residues to the environment. The extraction temperature is around 25ºC, being therefore a cold extracted oil (<30ºC). After extraction, the olive oil is placed in stainless steel tanks where it remains for several weeks to decant at a temperature between 18 and 20ºC.
