For more than 150 years, SFA member business García de la Cruz has been producing olive oil in Spain, combining generations of expertise with a forward-looking approach to innovation and sustainability. Today, the sixth-generation family business offers a growing portfolio of organic extra virgin olive oils, vinegars, olives, and other specialty products that are finding enthusiastic audiences around the world. As García de la Cruz prepares to exhibit at Winter FancyFaire* 2027 in San Francisco, we caught up with the team to discuss balancing tradition with technology, evolving consumer tastes, sustainability initiatives, and what's next for the historic brand.
García de la Cruz has been crafting olive oil in Spain since 1872, with six generations of family involvement, and your success continues today. How do you keep a historic brand relevant for today’s specialty food consumer?
Our experience in the production and elaboration of extra virgin olive oil since the 19th century has allowed us to develop deep know-how, passed down from generation to generation, which today we combine with new technologies applied to agriculture and production.
This combination of tradition and innovation allows us to optimize our processes and improve the quality of our EVOOs year after year. We use technologies such as drones for pest monitoring, optimized and controlled irrigation systems, tools that allow us to determine the optimal harvesting time, and artificial intelligence applications in the milling process. We also have a 4.0 storage facility that allows us to control storage conditions and preserve all the oil's physicochemical and organoleptic properties until bottling.
But innovation is not limited to the production process. We also work on our packaging, seeking to make it attractive, practical, and above all, educational. We want to help consumers better understand extra virgin olive oil, its different flavor profiles, and the various ways it can be used in the kitchen.
All of this means that when our oil reaches consumers, they can appreciate authentic olive juice produced with more than 150 years of accumulated experience and expertise.
We believe that this is the key to our continued relevance: maintaining the essence of our brand and our traditional knowledge while constantly evolving to respond to the needs and expectations of today's consumers.
Walk us through your product line: olive oils, vinegars, and bundles including other products. Which are the most popular? What’s new and exciting?
Our product range consists of organic extra virgin olive oils, flavored oils, olives, vinegars, and, to a lesser extent, olive-oil-based cosmetics.
Our organic extra virgin olive oil is undoubtedly one of our flagship products. We offer different varieties and flavor profiles that have been very well received by American consumers.
To reach this market, we conducted extensive research. We spent a year studying the tastes, preferences, and consumption habits of American consumers with the goal of developing an EVOO range tailored to their culinary uses, preferences, and needs.
This understanding of consumer behavior has allowed us to offer oils that not only stand out for their quality but are also easy to incorporate into everyday American cooking.
Among our newest products, one of our most innovative offerings is extra virgin olive oil in a spray format. This practical and versatile option is especially useful for air fryer cooking, barbecues, and other applications where consumers want to easily control the amount of oil they use.
Your website states that “We are a sustainability-focused company committed to protecting our land and resources.” Has this ethos always been part of your brand? Do you find that this attracts new customers and helps retain existing ones?
Absolutely. In our case, it could not be any other way because the foundation of our product is a tree. The olive tree reminds us every day that we must take care of the land from which our product comes.
A quarter of a century ago, our agricultural production became organic, and since then we have continued implementing measures in both our olive groves and our factory to move toward an increasingly sustainable and environmentally responsible model.
We practice precision agriculture, using efficient irrigation systems controlled by sensors that allow us to save more than 20% of water. We also use renewable energy, primarily photovoltaic power, both in the fields and at our facilities.
In addition, we control pests using remote sensing systems and use organic fertilizers that we produce ourselves at our composting facility from the waste generated during the EVOO production process. In this way, we turn waste into resources and move toward a more circular model.
We are also fortunate that several protected bird species have chosen our olive groves as their habitat, including the great bustard and the Spanish imperial eagle. Their presence makes us even more aware of our responsibility to the environment and the need to protect biodiversity.
We are convinced that consumers increasingly value these types of initiatives. Healthy eating, sustainability, and the origin of food are playing a growing role in purchasing decisions.
We believe this is not simply a passing trend, but rather a profound shift in consumers' habits and priorities.
You’ll be exhibiting at Winter FancyFaire* 2027 in San Francisco; we can’t wait to see your booth! What are your goals for the show? Who are you hoping to meet?
Our product range is broad and varied, designed to meet the diverse needs of the U.S. market with different quality levels, formats, and flavor profiles.
The United States is a strategic market for García de la Cruz, and we already have an established presence in major retail chains, including Whole Foods, Kroger, and H-E-B.
Our main objective at the show is to continue growing and expanding our presence in U.S. grocery retail. We want to build new relationships with distributors, retailers, buyers, and industry professionals who share our vision for the future of extra virgin olive oil in the United States.
Winter FancyFaire* will also be an excellent opportunity to present our value proposition, showcase our latest products, and connect more closely with the professionals shaping the future of specialty food in the American market.
For anyone planning to visit your booth at Winter FancyFaire* 2027, what products or innovations should be at the top of their tasting list, and what do you hope they take away from the experience?
We want visitors to discover the richness and diversity of flavor profiles that authentic EVOO can offer and to understand that extra virgin olive oil can play a leading role in all types of culinary preparations.
Professionals visiting the García de la Cruz booth will have the opportunity to discover and taste our high-quality organic extra virgin olive oils, made from green-harvested olives and rich in beneficial compounds such as polyphenols, oleocanthal, and vitamin E.
In addition to tasting our oils, visitors will be able to learn about our range of formats and packaging solutions, all designed to make the product easier to use and better suited to the evolving needs of consumers.
Among our latest innovations, our spray-format extra virgin olive oil stands out. It is a practical and convenient option that is ideal for air fryers, barbecues, and any preparation where consumers want to apply oil easily and evenly.
Our goal is for visitors to leave our booth not only having tasted our oils, but also with a new perspective on the many ways EVOO can enhance the cooking experience.
Looking beyond Winter FancyFaire*, what else is on the horizon for García de la Cruz? New products, sustainability initiatives, or other priorities: what should the specialty food community be watching for in 2027 and beyond?
Without a doubt, the properties of extra virgin olive oil and its role as part of a healthy diet will become increasingly important.
We are working with various organizations and institutions to help communicate the characteristics and health benefits of extra virgin olive oil to consumers. We also draw on dietary guidance and nutrition frameworks that recognize the important role olive oil can play as part of a balanced diet.
At the same time, we are closely following the evolution of nutritional recommendations in the United States and the growing recognition of olive oil's role in healthy eating patterns.
We believe this will be one of the major drivers of growth for EVOO in the coming years, alongside its extraordinary culinary versatility.
For us, the future of extra virgin olive oil lies in the combination of health, flavor, quality, innovation, and sustainability.
García de la Cruz aims to remain at the forefront of this evolution, bringing generations of experience and expertise to American consumers who are increasingly interested in understanding the origin, quality, and characteristics of the foods they bring to their tables.
Find García de la Cruz at Booth #606 at Winter FancyFaire* 2027, January 17-19 in San Francisco!