Trujal de Moreda, home of Equidad oil.

We visited the Moreda olive press, where the prized Basque olive oil Equidad is produced.

Low quantity and high quality. This is how experts define Basque oil. An analysis that can be extrapolated to perfection to Equidad oil, the brand name under which the liquid gold produced at the Moreda olive press is known. Although the vineyards won the battle against the olive trees years ago, the war is not over. The oil culture is still alive. The production of oil, an almost extinct legacy, is promoted daily by many of the families that today elaborate this precious gastronomic good. This is the case of the members of the Trujal de Moreda cooperative, a small group of people based in the Rioja Alavesa, in the extreme south of the Basque province of Araba, who keep intact the olive and oil traditions of their ancestors.

Many visitors to the Basque Country are pleasantly surprised to see that the Rioja Alavesa is not all about wine, especially when they have the opportunity to see an old oil press dating from 1947 in operation. For many years now, guided tours, fairs and tastings have been organized around olive oil. Initiatives, which collaborate in making known this facet (for many unknown) of the Basque people. In this article we are going to talk about one of these initiatives, the FREE visit to the olive press of Moreda, yes, FREE. Not only people who visit us ignore the presence of olives in Euskal Herria, we have also come across Basques who were unaware of this characteristic of their land. For all of them, the trujal de la Moreda, we begin.

As you may remember, this is not the first time we have talked to you about the oil from Euskadi, we already did it during our visit to Lanciego, where we met Eva and Arrolan oil, another of our great products. Another of our great oils.

Oscar Jiménez, one of the members of the cooperative, showed us how the old and current Moreda mill works. A short walk through the history of this town where we received personalized attention. Luxury.

History: The date since olive oil has been produced in Moreda is not known, but there is no doubt that it was many winters ago, many more than people can remember. According to the oldest inhabitants of Moreda, all the land surrounding the village formed an enormous olive grove. A picture, which today has disappeared to the benefit of the vineyards. However, olive groves can still be seen scattered throughout the territory. According to historical data, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, olive production in Moreda was around 500,000 kilos. Nowadays, with olive production relegated to the background by other crops (mostly vineyards), production has been reduced to 150,000 kilos per year. A very significant figure.

Although today there are still remains of private olive presses from the time when olive cultivation and oil production became famous in the town of Moreda, the only one that can be visited is the press of the Equidad cooperative. Since 1947, this olive press has been a reference in terms of oil processing. In the year 2000, the mill was renovated to update its production process, incorporating state-of-the-art technology. Nowadays, it is possible to contemplate both olive presses, the old one (1947) and the current one (2000) next to each other.

Moreda: Let’s situate ourselves. Moreda, southern plain of Araba, Laguardia – Rioja Alavesa. Municipality and village of less than 230 inhabitants located about 20 minutes from Laguardia, on the border with Navarra and La Rioja. In this small village in Alava, the threshing floor is still a sign of identity together with the vineyards and the wine culture. Witness to this are the rows of crops in which vines are mixed with centenary olive trees. Thanks to added values such as the oil brand “Equidad” and the local olive press, Moreda is becoming more and more known among locals and foreigners. Do you know it?

Vineyards vs. olive trees: It is well known that the Rioja Alavesa is a land of cultivation, but what many do not know is that in the past vineyards did not have the monopoly they enjoy today. Not only vineyards grow in this region of southern Araba. Cereal, grapes and olives have always been grown in this land, products that are still preserved to a lesser extent today. The oil from our land is produced to a greater extent in Navarra and Rioja Alavesa, two territories where the native Arroniz variety makes the difference.

Variety: Arroniz. Native variety, adapted to the particular climate of the Rioja Alavesa area with late flowering and medium ripening. The oil obtained from this olive is defined by experts as complex and balanced. It is one of the best oils for canning due to its long conservation of properties, flavor, aroma and quality (approximately 2 years). It is recommended to store in a dry, dark place at an average temperature of 20 degrees.

These olive trees offer yellowish green fruit, with a medium fruity aroma and flavor. Although in the past in Moreda the olives began to be harvested on the feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), the different studies that are being carried out to harvest the olives at their optimum ripening point (the best time for them to retain their nutritional and aromatic properties) mean that this date varies. Harvesting is still done in the traditional way, by hand, using the milking system, while the oil is extracted cold using mechanical procedures, leaving aside the chemical processes used by large multinationals.

Guided tour: After calling the contact telephone number indicated on several pages, we got the answering machine indicating that it is the telephone number of the olive press, a place where we only find people during the season, during the production of oil. So we dialed the phone number indicated in the voice message to get in touch with Jesus, responsible for the olive press in Moreda and therefore for the cooperative Trujal La Equidad. Jesus, very kind, told us that there are no visiting hours, they are visits a la carte, personalized. We recommend you to call, talk to them and arrange a day and time. It doesn’t matter if it is a group of 10 or a couple, they will be happy to assist you. In our case, Jesus could not attend us and Oscar acted as host.

The trujal of Moreda is not lost, it is located in the center of the municipality, next to the road that crosses it, in front of the bar. Oscar was waiting for us there, ready for a didactic and pleasant visit to the small premises of the cooperative. We started the visit in the old threshing mill, a space that today serves as a museum.

However, after starting up the grinding wheels and watching a video in which the entire process can be seen, we can attest that everything there works like a charm.

From here we move on to the modern part, to the present-day winery. The stainless steel tanks and the automatic control mechanisms show us the commitment to innovation that was made in the year 2000. Thanks to these advances, the current Moreda olive press is capable of processing all the kilos of olives that arrive with only one person present to control them. The system used, by centrifugation, (a mechanical process that leaves aside any chemical process) helps to obtain a higher quality oil with better hygienic conditions. Thus complying with the strict controls of organizations such as Euskal Label or ENNEK (Ecological Agriculture and Food Council of the Basque Country). It is in this part of the facilities where Oscar explained to us the traditional olive harvesting, by hand, a method used by most of the 100 people that make up the cooperative “Trujal La Equidad Sociedad Cooperativa” (composed of neighbors from Viana, Oyón, Lanciego, Laguardia, Viñaspre, Elvillar, Barriobusto and Labraza).

In the final part of the visit we had the opportunity to do a small oil tasting in front of the stainless steel tanks. For this we used the now famous blue glass regulated by the International Olive Council (according to IOC/T.20/DOC. no. 5/Rev. 1 September 20079). The color of this glass allows us to carry out the tasting without taking into account the color of the oil we are tasting, while its shape helps to heat the liquid for the best exposure of its aroma. After heating the Basque, the whole group (without being experts in the field and with the help of Oscar), appreciated to perfection 2 of the theoretical characteristics of Arroniz oil: fruity aroma and late spiciness. We must remember that we are dealing with an Extra Virgin Olive Oil with 2 quality certificates. A great tasting oil that is recommended to be consumed cold.

Price: 0€.Free. Dohainik. Free. Free. They have few resources, the oil they produce is an exclusive product and the guided tours are free. It seems a utopia but no, it is real, they are in the Rioja Alavesa and they are waiting for you with open arms. They have direct sales at the Moreda mill itself, although you can also find these bottles on the shelves of large supermarkets such as BM or El Corte Inglés.

Accreditation: El Trujal de Moreda has from today our exclusive TurismoVasco Tiketa accreditation, a small recognition to a lifetime dedicated to the culture of oil in the Basque Country. A proof that this visit and the product that is produced in these facilities are well worth it.

We cannot finish this article about the Trujal de Moreda and its oil Equidad without thanking all the olive growers of Rioja Alavesa and their olive presses for keeping alive the olive tree culture in the Basque Country. Eskerrik asko!