Olive oil is known as “liquid gold” – a name that hasn’t been so far from reality after recent price increases – and Lanzarote is making great strides to join the oil producing club.
At the Agrocanaria awards earlier this year, the Flower Power garden centre won a best design award for the beautiful bottles of olive oil that they sell under the brand name Finca El Refugio.
Looking at the 28 brands of olive oil that were submitted to the competition, it’s clear to see why Finca el Refugio won best presentation, as it stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Olive oil is the foundation of Mediterranean cooking and Spain is the world’s largest producer, far outstripping countries like Italy and Greece. However, recent drought conditions in Spain have caused olive oil prices to shoot up by more than 60% in a year.
Things promise to improve soon, but it’s still surprising that The Canaries, with perfect conditions for olive cultivation, have rarely grown the crop for commercial purposes until recently.
But that is changing, and since Lanzarote’s Cabildo decided to promote olive production in 2012, young olive groves can increasingly be seen in various parts of the island.
Lanzarote is still behind Fuerteventura and the larger Canary Islands in terms of olive oil production, and Canarian products are all from small “boutique” producers, but the quality is excellent.
If you’re looking for a perfect Lanzarote foodie gift or souvenir, then a bottle of Finca el Refugio from Lanzarote could be the perfect choice.
The olive oil can be bought from the Flower Power garden centre in Mácher (just off of the roundabout). The centre is open Monday – Friday from 10am until 6:30pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 2pm.
