The Institut Català de Finances (ICF) has granted a loan of 260,000 euros to Agrícola de l'Empordà, SL and Productora d'Oli de l'Empordà, SL to relaunch the olive oil business in this county. Both companies own estates privilegedly located in the municipalities of Garriguella, Rabós and Espolla, in the county of Alt Empordà, and produce Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) from their own fields, rigorously selecting olives at their optimal ripeness to preserve the full richness of their aromas and flavours.

The financed companies operate under two commercial brands: Clos de la Torre (premium oils) and Oli de Particular (cooking oils). All their EVOOs are made from five varieties grown across their different fields: Argudell (a native variety of the Empordà), Picual (originally from Andalusia), Frantoio (an Italian variety from the Tuscany region), Coratina (an Italian variety from the Puglia region) and Koroneiki (a variety from Greece).

The ICF financing has served to ensure the continuity of a business that was at risk of closure due to a lack of generational succession, and has made it possible to purchase machinery, renew part of the production process to make it more efficient, and achieve better handling of the olives to obtain the excellent EVOOs it produces. The investment has also enabled the implementation of measures such as the shredding of plant residues, which were necessary to improve the vegetative cover of the fields.

The loan was granted under the ICF Agroinversió line, which is aimed at self-employed workers and agricultural, agri-food, forestry and fishing sector companies to finance projects and investments involving the acquisition of tangible assets or productive modernisation. These loans carry preferential terms thanks to co-financing from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food.