Centuries of Tradition
The legend goes that on Mount Olympus, there was a flight between the god Poseidon and the goddess Athena for the domination of Attica. Zeus promised to give it to whoever presented him with a more useful gift to humanity. Goddess Athena won when she presented Zeus a little branch of the olive tree, telling him that it would become a strong tree, able to live for centuries, and that not only would its fruits be good to eat, but an extraordinary liquid could be obtained from them that would be used to compliment the foods of humans, heal their wounds and give them energy and light in the night.
Olive tree branches were found in tombs of Pharaohs , and olive trees were the symbol of the Roman Hispania, and during this time it was discovered that Andalucia was one of the best places in the world for olive farming. Today, two-thousand years later, we keep on growing olive trees and gathering their fruits like they used to in the past.
In the Heart of Andalucía the speed of life mirrors that of the olive tree: slow with regular cycles. In Hojiblanca there is no rush to harvest early, not only is it good business, but it is in the very nature of our farmers nature to produce the best olive oils and table olives in the world, something which we have inherited from our ancestors and will pass onto our children. It's the job the gods have left us.
As heirs of this tradition, in the Hojiblanca Cooperative we want to spread the culture of oil, olive trees and olives, and thats why we have the Hojiblanca Museum where we have preserved mills and objects that have been used to produce oil throughout history. Come to see our mills of the 1st, 17th and 19th century and take a walk around the world of oil just as it was in the past.
In 2003, the cooperatives Cordoliva and Oleica Hojiblanca of Malaga decided to join together to form Hojiblanca S. Coop. And., who's main goal is to commercialize the products of its associates and offer services to the farmers in order to obtain the greatest benefits for all. In 2005, there was a merger with Acorsa, which heads-up the table olive section in the Hojiblanca Group. In 2006 there was another fusion with the supply cooperatives Agromálaga and Agrocórdoba, the hub of the Services and Supplies section. The main historical key moments in the Hojiblanca Group are as follows:
- 1979: creation of Acorsa
- 1980: establishment of Cordoliva
- 1987: constitution of the Oleícola Hojiblanca de Málaga
- 1997: presentation of the Hojilblanca brand; afterwards named Cordoliva
- 1998: visit of the Kings of Spain to the Reina Sofía plant in Antequera
- 2003: merger between Cordoliva and Oleícola Hojiblanca de Málaga to become Hojiblanca S.C.A.
- 2005: merger of Hojiblanca with Acorsa and Agromálaga
- 2006: merger of Hojiblanca and Agrocórdoba. Incorporation of new cooperatives from the region of Sevilla
- 2007: alliance with Cargill, agreement with Mercaóleo to sell olive oil for distribution
In regards to table olives, in the magnificent Mediterranean climate, the best area for the production of table olives, a group of century-old companies decided to get together and spread their product worldwide. This is how Acorsa was born, which gave rise to the Table Olive section of Hojiblanca. This section of our Group contains thousands of olive farmers in the Heart of Andalucia, and in the south of Spain. With great effort this cooperative has managed to make history, tradition and great products with the most modern technologies, including the best installations and machinery, capable of offering the widest range of quality products that are able to compete at the highest level anywhere in the World.
