進口代理─阿根廷─「LA BELLA S.A.」橄欖油

Finca La Bella S.A. is a family-owned agro-industrial olive growing SME with 400 hectares in production. Founded in 1996, it is located in the Andes foothills, 900 meters above sea level, in the department of Pomán, province of Catamarca.

Its main activity is the production of olives for the elaboration of extra virgin olive oil in its processing plant. The olives are sold in bulk, both in the local market and abroad.

Thanks to its location, the farm has a microclimate suitable for growing olives. The significant amount of sunlight during most of the year, the great thermal amplitude, and the usually low ambient humidity contribute to the development of the olive grove with less proliferation of pests that affect the crop, high yields and accumulation of oil in the fruit.

It has a drip irrigation system controlled by extracting water from abundant subway aquifers, which provides the necessary water and nutrient requirements throughout the annual crop cycle, optimizing yields in an efficient and sustainable manner.

Its intensive agronomic model of 325-417 plants per hectare combined with mechanized annual pruning and harvesting, reduces agricultural tasks and brings in certain advantages, such as managing early harvesting times and deadlines to obtain top quality oils. 

It has a processing capacity of 150 tons/day of olives and a storage capacity of 350 tons in stainless steel tanks of different volumes, with HACCP certification that allows the oil to be extracted in the shortest possible time once the fruit has been harvested from the trees, which is a crucial factor in the quality of the product obtained.

INTI trained its personnel through the official FSPCA course aimed at training Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals (PCQI) in Food for Human Consumption, in accordance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) training requirements, to develop, implement, and manage the plant's Food Safety Plan. 

La Bella currently exports to the United States and Italy and wishes to expand its market to Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Nordic countries. 

It won the “Gran Olivo de Oro” award at the international competition Cuyo Oliva 2017. The same year it was awarded the “D.F. Sarmiento” prize at the VII Encuentro Olivícola Internacional, held in the province of San Juan. In 2020, it ranked among the top 6 oils in the sensory rating at the End of Harvest Presentation.

“La Bella is innovative in the application and incorporation of new technologies, both in the production and industrial process. In Argentina, we were pioneers in harvest mechanization. We stand out for pruning the olive trees to give them the shape that ensures an optimum result through mechanized harvesting. The 400 hectares of olive trees in our farm ensures a reasonable volume and scale of production for our vertical integration and, at the same time, satisfies the volumes demanded by large customers. This surface area makes it easier to maintain order and control of the production and industrial process to give it our own stamp and thus be able to obtain premium oils,” reflects Nicolás Schwanek, president of the company.

• HS CODE (NCM) 

-1509.10.00 / Virgin Olive Oil 5