Farmers like Anthony and John Gabriel are celebrated examples of ordinary folk who believe you can do anything you set your mind to.
The two brothers are the fourth generation behind the wheel of la Biodiversa, a 130-year-old family farm. The challenges they face are common for most olive growers, at least in the Andalusia region. When they took over the farm in 2005, it was clear they wanted to do what felt right from the start.
Driven by curiosity, the self-proclaimed dream team went to work. They share the same passion for olive oil. They started out as professional olive oil tasters and later became specialists in olive farming. Anthony is an agricultural engineer and is responsible for the business side. John Gabriel is a researcher in chemical engineering at the local university and is eager to learn everything about farming he can get his hands on.
The brothers set themselves two goals: 1) Stop the erosion of their soil and 2) Find a way to sell their olive oil at its true price.
Stopping erosion, the farm side
The first thing on the agenda was to stop tilling and instead experiment with different kinds of grass cover crops (e.g. barley, oat and wheat). This proved to be the right approach and after just 1 year you could observe small improvements in soil health. They also tried lolium perenne (ray grass), but this was a big mistake as they couldn’t control it.
Animals & olives
Animal integration is still in the experimentation phase at La Biodiversa, but the first results are promising. At La Biodiversa, animals have access to the orchard for a brief period with 3 months of rest in between.
The benefits of integrating animals are plenty, including reduced workload, improved soil health and reduced dependence on external inputs like fertilisers. But the implementation is tricky. They have experimented with Breton Dwarf sheep, as the name suggests this is a small breed of sheep with the benefit of not being able to reach the leaves. As well as the beautiful white with black spotted Andalusian mull, because they only eat the grass. Fencing turned out to be a real headache because of the high costs. A cheaper alternative is the use of electric collars which react to the preset borders of your plot. A subtle electricity shock will prevent your animals from wandering off. Especially convenient if your plot is located next to the road, as is the case for La Biodiversa.
The fruits of regeneration kicked in
With only 3 hectares, La Biodiversa is an unusually small professional farm. They are located on the shady side of a hill in Arjona, giving them no more than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. The biggest advantage of having a semi-shaded olive orchard is less evaporation of precious moisture. For those unfamiliar with the blazing hot summers of Andalusia, it can get brutal. Less evaporation allowed the brothers to realise record yields without irrigation. On average the yield is around 15.000 kg per year. Which is substantial if you look at the country’s average of 3500 kg per hectare.
2021 = 14.500 kg
2022 = 10.676 kg
2023 = 22.600 kg
The brothers are modest and cautious with linking this success to regeneration alone. They are however confident that the absence of illnesses or pests and the quality of their fruits, are an immediate result of their regenerative practices.
Finding a true price for oil, the business side
In order to sell your oil for its true price, you have to understand the biggest problem of the olive market.
“Olive oil producers can’t sell their story. Take wine as an example: You can’t compare a 10 euro bottle from Burgundy with a Rioja. The same goes for olive oil. Factors like organic or conventional, temperature and rainfall, regional difference, the type of harvesting & extraction process, it all has a huge effect on taste and aromas.”
Anthony and John Gabriel choose to differentiate. Their USP is ‘Great taste because we work together with nature. We apply regenerative techniques to heal the soil which in return produce the perfect fruit. This is a claim easily made if you don’t verify it. So the brothers entered independent taste awards to back it up.
“Everything in our influence has been optimised to perfection and in a way that benefits nature. The result is that in the last 4 years we have been awarded by different international olive oil competitions. These competitions have placed us as one of the best organic extra virgin olive oil in the world. Now, we are looking into Demeter and Bio Suisse to make our oil stand out from the crowd in a more permanent way.”
Does differentiation help you to sell your product?
There are no guarantees in this world but in the case of La Biodiversa, it helped them to quickly build a name for themselves. They sell their olive oil to gourmet stores and directly to consumers through their website. With a good product and a unique story, 35% of their sales now come from repeat customers. This allows them to grow their business at a steady controllable pace.
Anthony’s passion is confirmed once again when he tells the story of a loyal customer who hides the olive oil from her husband. “It’s too good to share. How great is that? You can’t make this stuff up.”
What’s the end goal?
Anthony calls La Biodiversa a small seed with a lot of potential. The olive tree forest in Andalusia is a desert, he and his brother want to recover this ecosystem. They see two routes and have yet to decide which one to follow.
- Grow the farm in pace and line with their vision
- Move to education and consultancy and grow their vision through the power of many
The answer will get clear if they give it time. Either way there will be enough work to do for them and the next generation.
Key out take: Manage your farm the way it feels right. And don’t sell yourself short. Find out what makes your farm and produce unique.
