The thirteenth edition of the Fiesta del Primer Aceite de Jaén, which has taken place this weekend in Úbeda (Jaén), has concluded with a "highly positive" assessment after confirming a "massive" influx of visitors to Parque Norte and "high" sales for the hundred olive oil companies present.
The Deputy for Promotion and Tourism of the Diputación de Jaén, Francisco Javier Lozano, has emphasized that the event has more than met its goals, reinforcing the image of the province as the "world’s leading producer of quality olive oil" and as the "ideal destination" and main point of reference for olive oil tourism.
Lozano has specified that thousands of people who arrived from different points in Spain and from abroad took part in a program that posted a full house notice in practically all of its activities, even leading to waiting lists being created for several of them.
In the commercial sphere, the general sentiment among companies in the sector was very favorable, to the extent that most of the brands present sold out during just the Saturday day of all the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (AOVE) that they had brought to present and market during the two days of the celebration.
The overall set of parallel activities, according to the provincial head, had unanimous public support. In the inaugural breakfast on Saturday, 500 services were served, the same number as the 500 tapas distributed in the showcooking developed on Sunday.
Likewise, the guided tastings by the designations of origin, the IGP Aceite de Jaén and the Centro del Olivar y Aceite de la Provincia filled their capacity with 25 attendees in each of the scheduled sessions.
As for the guided visits both to the historic center of Úbeda and to the participating cooperatives, the figure of 200 people per day was exceeded. The pottery workshops recorded notable participation, while the micro-mill workshop taught by Oleoescuela Guardián de los Trofeos allowed more than one hundred attendees to learn first-hand the process of making the oil.
Children’s activities and the play center brought together around 600 minors throughout the entire weekend, adding to the broad followership that the various musical performances included in the program obtained.
After the good reception in Úbeda, the Fiesta del Primer Aceite de Jaén —driven by the Provincial Council with the collaboration of the town hall of Úbeda— will move, in two weeks, to Galicia.
Specifically, the city of La Coruña will host this promotional event from 20 to 22 November. There, 35 companies from Jaén linked to olive oil, cosmetics, and crafts from the olive grove will travel, and they will be the focus of a program with tastings, breakfasts with early extra virgin olive oils, and tastings of AOVE.