“Lecciana has helped us improve all our oils and production systems”
Interview with Antonio Lopez, Manager of Aceites Casa de la Arsenia, and Pedro Sarrión López, Production Technician at Aceites Casa de la Arsenia. Interview conducted by Miguel Abad, Elaiologist.
This mill dates back to the 18th century, right? Can you tell us a little more about its history?
At the end of the 18th century, it was an agricultural estate dedicated to producing wine grapes and olive oil. It had presses and all the equipment related to those crops, and it was a woman named Arsenia—hence the name Casa de la Arsenia—who marketed and distributed the oil in Spain and France. About 20 years ago, we started working with the Arbequina and Arbosana varieties.
Now, considering water needs, we’ve begun studying and testing new varieties. For about 3 or 4 years, we’ve been working with Lecciana and Coriana. In our area, we have very limited water allocation, and Lecciana is one of the varieties that requires less water to produce the same kilos of oil per hectare.
The mill is next to the groves, we saw it’s about 3 or 4 kilometers away…
Yes, all the olive groves around here are no more than 5 kilometers from the mill so the olives don’t oxidize or heat up. We harvest with an over-the-row machine, so we take them straight to processing
And what about organic farming? Is it easier for you to manage?
In our area, it’s simple, there’s not much difference between organic and conventional farming. We’ve always been organic in all our groves and crops, so we’re probably more accustomed to it than other regions or companies.
What can you tell us about Lecciana and your brand MA’SARAH?
Lecciana is a fairly early variety. We’re in Alicante, a very warm, arid area, so the harvest comes early. When harvesting this variety so early—at the end of September—one key aspect to manage is cooling because it’s still very hot.
To achieve optimal cooling, we use everything from mills cooled with cold water and refrigerated malaxers to specialized kneading systems to separate qualities.
What surprised us most about Lecciana is its polyphenol index. Lecciana has helped us improve all our oils and also enhance our production processes by cooling everything for early harvesting.
From the start, we were impressed by its aromatic expressiveness—especially the intense green apple notes when processed correctly. And in terms of longevity, it’s also a very long-lasting oil.
All this makes it pair beautifully with all kinds of culinary combinations: with tomatoes, different salads, certain types of fish… Gastronomically, it’s a big step forward.
