Women in the Olive Grove: From an Invisible Past to the Present as a Driving Force in the Sector

From being anonymous labor, women have gone on to carry out essential tasks in agricultural modernization, mill management, and the promotion of EVOO

One of the major changes the olive oil sector has witnessed in recent years has been the recognition of women as a cornerstone of the rural economy.

Social and economic policies, the growing integration of women into the workforce, and an unprecedented leap in training and professional qualifications have led women to take on positions of responsibility. And Almazaras de la Subbética is a great example! Nuria Yáñez, Technical Director at Almazaras de la Subbética, is also Córdoba’s representative in the Association of Producers in Defense of Traditional Olive Groves.

In the production of the best extra virgin olive oils in the world—including ours—the knowledge and expertise of women play a key role. Their work is decisive not only in the grove, but also in agricultural planning, olive grove modernization, the operation and management of the mill, selling EVOO worldwide, and communication and promotion of liquid gold.

In the 21st century, women have stopped being invisible labor—almost a family support role—and have become agents of change in the extra virgin olive oil sector.

The result, at Almazaras de la Subbética, is a cooperative of men and women united by a love for the identity of a people, the land, and the magnificent extra virgin olive oil that springs from the fertile soils of the Subbética in Córdoba. This has given rise to unique EVOOs whose excellence has been awarded numerous times worldwide, making our online store the best tribute to work well done and to a perfect balance between tradition and innovation.

Olive Oil with a Woman’s Name

Another of the most relevant institutional advances in recent times is the concept of shared ownership of agricultural holdings, regulated by Law 35/2011 and managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). What does this status mean in practice? “It is a legal framework for agricultural holdings that couples who share the work and management of the farm can adopt. This framework allows the administration, representation, and responsibility of the holding to be shared by both owners, fostering equality between them,” as the Ministry states.

Added to this is the fact that in the Andalusian olive oil sector the cooperative model is common, enabling role diversification. Women no longer only take care of the olive harvest, as they once did, but also hold technical, management, and decision-making positions, previously almost exclusively reserved for men.

Likewise, we cannot forget the presence of women in haute cuisine, where extra virgin olive oil is one of the undisputed protagonists of today’s gastronomic scene—and women act as outstanding ambassadors for it.

From the olive tree to the table, women are now more present than ever throughout the entire process of obtaining, producing, marketing, communicating, and consuming EVOO.