Spain is the world's leading producer of olive oil, but Italy is the one that sells the most. For decades, the Spanish olive sector has been working to sell less in bulk to the transalpine country and to market more with its own brands. The strategy of placing the bottle of olive oil on the checkered red and white tablecloth in many pizzerias and restaurants remains unbeatable and, if the Italian group Coricelli finally manages to buy Deoleo, Italy will not only lead the imagination of olive oil in the international consumer, but also the market.
During this month of August, the battle for the purchase of Deoleo, a leading company in olive oil at the international level that markets 158 million liters of oil in 68 countries under 29 brands, some as representative in the Spanish market as Carbonell, Koipe, Maestros de Hojiblanca and also in the Italian market as Bertolli or Carapelli.
DCOOP, the Spanish cooperative group that is a world leader in olive oil production with an average of 218 million liters has been one of those that has bid for the purchase, with 460 million euros. Another leading company in the olive sector like Acesur (with brands like La Española and Coosur) would also have made another offer, however, who, according to elEconomista.es, has so far won the game by offering 500 million euros is Farmers Global Elite, a holding company based in Seville, which has a Spanish company (Aceites Abasa) but whose main capital belongs to the Italian Coricelli (an Italian company that in 2025 markets 78 million liters of olive oil).
The small fish eats the big one
Consulted sources from DCOOP barely provide information about the situation of this operation, although they do express astonishment that a "small fish" like Coricelli can eat a big one like Deoleo, which doubles it in production, according to data from its website.
From the cooperative group, they also appreciate the gesture of the Government of Spain, which in statements to the EFE Agency has stated that they would be in favor of "an option that preserves our industrial interests" while "the interests of our olive growers should be strictly respected."
And it is that behind the battle for Deoleo, there is not only the olive oil market, but also the model that will best defend the interests of the Spanish olive sector, which is the first in the world.
Import VS cooperatives
Andalusia concentrates around 75% of the national production of olive oil and, in addition, seven out of every ten kilos are channeled through a cooperative. Therefore, it is a sector that in Spain is very cooperativized. "Spain cannot settle for being a leader in production. It must aspire to lead commercialization, brands, and the relationship with the consumer," pointed out the general director of Agro-food Cooperatives of Andalusia, Jaime Martínez-Conradi in a recently published article.
In his opinion, it is not about making a competition between good Italian oil and good Spanish oil, but rather knowing that the Italian model has a great dependence on imports to supply its industry (many are still Spanish) while the Spanish continues to fight to link production with transformation, branding, and commercialization.
Quality and fight against fraud
The fight against fraud in Virgin olive oil is one of the major challenges of this sector. DCOOP claims that this is one of its battle horses, because protecting authenticity means caring for the producer and providing guarantees to the consumer. Deóleo is also working along the same lines.
At the close of this information, elEconomista.es has reported that Farmers Global Elite (Coricelli) has won the game that will conclude throughout September. However, it is certain that the operation will generate a lot of interest because, as the director of Agro-food Cooperatives of Andalusia states, "Spain must decide whether it is satisfied with being the world's largest producer of olive oil or takes the definitive step to also lead its transformation, commercialization, and the brands that reach the consumer."