Celebrating The Local Culture Where Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Sourced
Updated May 15th 2023
One of the really great things about being involved with Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is that you get to see some truly spectacular parts of this fascinating country. We were invited to the Beni Mellal horse festival. A truly exciting local cultural spectacle.
Morocco Gold was truly honoured to be invited as guests to the festival at Beni Mellal. This remarkable horse festival celebrates Sidi Muhammed Ben Lachen, a fifteenth century patron saint. There is an age-old pride and tradition attached to this event. It’s foundation lay in the ancient horsemanship culture of the region. It attracts hundreds of horse breeders and owners to show off their beautifully groomed thoroughbreds. The horses are of the finest stock and include Arab-Berbers, Arab stallions and Barbary mares.
The riders dress in traditional garments, gandouras and djellabas, the national dress of the country. Riding at great pace the horsemen shot in the air to display their skills. The riders take every part of the festival very seriously.
Sometimes, they even let you join in!
We were honoured to meet with the Governor of the Azilal province and present his excellency with a bottle of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil.
With 2 million tons of olives harvested this season, Morocco has become the world’s fourth largest olive oil producer.
Where Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil Comes From
The Morocco Gold olive growing area is 180 kms and about 4 hours drive north east from Marrakesh. It is situated in a raised valley in the foothills of the magnificent Atlas mountains in the Azilal Province which is part of the Beni Mellal region. The area rarely sees many tourists or ‘outsiders’.
This raised valley is between two 1400m Atlas ranges with altitude varying between 700m and 900m along its 40kms. This creates its own micro-climate with temperatures generally 2c below the coastal plain in the daytime and 5c at night-time. These differences, combined with the naturally occurring nutrients in the soil create uniquely high-quality olive growing conditions for the Picholine Marocaine, the only type of olive used in Morocco Gold.
What Is So Special About Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive? : It’s Polyphenol Level
Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is high in polyphenols. The high polyphenol content of our extra virgin olive oil is dependent on three factors. First is the variety of the olive, secondly the climate and terroire of the growing region and thirdly the actual time in the growing season that the crop is harvested all contribute to a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is pressed from the Picholine Marocaine, the only type of olive to go into Morocco Gold. Oil from this variety is renowned for it’s high polyphenol count, oxidative stability and longevity.
Our olives are grown in a valley that is about 2,000 feet above sea level. This helps to create the additional climatic challenges that encourage polyphenol uptake within the olive tree. It is also an area with naturally occurring high phenols in the soil itself.
Thirdly, our olives are picked when the fruit is young and green. As the olives age on the tree, the colour of the olive changes to red and then black, the size of the olive increases thus producing more oil, but the polyphenol level decreases. There is a great deal of expertise within the farming community where we source our oil to ensure that the harvest is collected at the optimum time to maximise the polyphenol level.
Morocco Gold brings this wonderful ‘superfood’ to all health conscious, discerning food lovers across all cultures and culinary backgrounds. Our extra virgin olive oil is natural, unfiltered, ultra premium and polyphenol rich. Our oil’s exquisite taste and health enhancing qualities are guaranteed by our rigorous testing and provenance.
Morocco Gold use strict adherence to single estate sourcing, with no blending or mixing.
Morocco Gold was recently sighted in the world famous Marjorelle Gardens.