Olive Oil Producer Castillo de Canena: Creativity & Heritage

Rosa Paco and Don Luis Vañó photo courtesy of Castillo de Canena

Just before her 40th birthday in 2003, Rosa Vañó left a big-deal executive job at Coca-Cola to return to her family olive oil business in the Guadalquivir Valley in Jaén, Andalusia. More than 220 million olive trees flourish in Jaén, the world’s largest area of olive oil production. The region makes more than 40 percent of Spanish olive oil, and a fifth of the olive oil in the entire world.

 “The Vañó Family story started back in 1780,” says María Parias, Castillo de Canena’s US and UK Export Manager. “There have been nine generations involved since then, but it was only 20 years ago that sister and brother Rosa and Paco took over, focusing on early harvest extra-virgin olive oils and gastronomic oils.” Paco left his job as a banker to return to their family’s roots, teaming up with his sister to revolutionize both the family business and the wider world of Spanish olive oil. 

Ancient History, New Prestige

Castillo de Catena olive oils

On their 5,000 acres of centuries-old olive groves, surrounding a 6th century castle in the foothills of the Sierra Mágina, the brother and sister team have been at the forefront of what Parias calls “a true revolution in the olive oil sector.” For many years, the Spanish industry was about churning out gigantic quantities of oil to import all over the world. Italy would often repackage Spanish oils with a “Mediterranean blend” in small print, so they could claim “Product of Italy,” which would in turn command higher prices.

But Rosa and Paco believed that their oil could shine on its own. Their olive trees are gently watered by the river Guadiana Menor, which winds through their groves, giving their oils a sweet, fresh flavor. They hand-select their olives during harvest to ensure the ultimate ripeness, before being carefully transferred to their mill.

The Vañós’ work has been twofold—first, to create the very finest olive oil possible, a result of “the terroir, the best agriculture practices, the most advanced machinery, and our care and passion,” says Parias. The second has been to share that—and convince—the world.

Innovative Oils 

That latter goal has been going well, especially now that their Amontillado Sherry Cask Olive Oil recently won a gold award in a specialty food competition. It joins a long list of Castillo de Canena’s award-winning products and accolades. 

Castillo de Canena Amontillado Sherry Cask Olive Oil

I fell in love with their sherry cask olive oil at first sniff. Crafted by refining Arbequina olive oil in sherry amontillado wine barrels with more than half a century of age, I was taken with aromas of roasted hazelnuts, tobacco, and orange peel. 

“The initial flavor is mild and elegant, and its finish is reminiscent of wooden barrels, and a touch of medium-dry sherry with an umami nuance,” Parias explains. She recommends it for dressing grilled chicken salad, drizzling over wild mushrooms, finishing shrimp or tuna carpaccio and tartare, grilled foie gras, or cured tuna. It’s also a “fabulous sensory experience when paired with dark chocolate,” Parias adds. 

The newest award winner reinforces Castillo de Canena’s duality—making excellent traditional products and having fun with innovative possibilities. They craft a wide range of extra-virgin olive oils, from early harvest monovarietals to thoughtfully and uniquely flavored oils like Oak Smoke Arbequina, Arbequina & Harissa, and Arbequina & Plankton, which is vibrantly green and tastes of the sea. They also experiment with new and indigenous olive varieties. 

Building a Sustainable Future

Olive groves photo courtesy of Castillo de Canena

Their innovation doesn’t just apply to flavors—sustainability is at the heart of all of Castillo de Canena’s work. “All of our decisions prioritize quality and sustainability over other factors, like quantity or cost,” says Parias. 

Rosa and Paco’s father Don Luis Vañó started thinking seriously about the health of their ecosystem many decades before sustainability became a buzzword. He developed the super modern underground irrigation system and upgraded the company’s mill. In 2010, Rosa and Paco created the Luis Vañó Research Prize, a competition open to all original scientific and technological research in the field of olive cultivation in his honor.

Castillo de Canena Biodynamic

123 acres of Castillo de Canena are devoted to Biodynamic Agriculture. The family keeps beehives, as bees act as bio-indicators of an insecticide-free environment and aid in the pollination process. 400 sheep graze on Castillo de Canena’s land, and their manure makes compost and helps maintain cover vegetation. Their goal is to enrich the ecosystem and foster biodiversity, leaving the land healthier and richer.

Solar energy generates all of Castillo de Canena’s electricity, and there are several drought stress control points in the groves to maximize the use of water. “We continuously move forward in research: tracing our carbon footprint (certified since 2011), hydric footprint (certified since 2013), investigating organic crops, new varieties in our area, and combining the knowledge of the most prestigious scientists with the master olive experts in the region,” according to Parias. 

Castillo de Canena works in partnership with universities, NGOs, and agriculture institutes to continuously build a more sustainable process. They’re working towards a future of thriving land, resilient community, and healthy, delicious extra-virgin olive oil—in a difficult world, a future worth believing in.