{"id":151297,"date":"2026-02-16T09:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T08:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mallorcaglobalmag.es\/?p=151297"},"modified":"2026-02-16T09:16:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T08:16:23","slug":"the-grateful-olive-trees-of-son-perot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mallorcaglobalmag.es\/en\/the-grateful-olive-trees-of-son-perot\/","title":{"rendered":"The grateful olive trees of Son Perot"},"content":{"rendered":"

The olive harvest in Mallorca, an ancestral tradition<\/h3>\n

Text: Jos\u00e9 E. Iglesias \/ Photos: P. Castillo<\/p>\n

It is a sunny, hot day in the middle of November, in one of the Orient valleys whose access is as challenging as it is monumental, shaped by winding bends and the peaks that flank the narrow road. We are attending the olive harvest at Son Perot, an estate owned by the Martorell family, spanning one million eight hundred thousand square meters (around 250 cuarteradas – roughly 177 acres), with more than 3,000 olive trees, many of them millenary specimens distinguished by their striking forms.<\/p>\n

\"Olivos

Rafa Molina, manager of Aceites Martorell, points to one of the millenary olive trees at Son Perot.<\/p><\/div>\n

This year, there is a sense of joy in the air thanks to the excellent harvest. \u201cThere is a lot of olive, and they are full of oil\u201d, says Rafa Molina with satisfaction, manager and husband of Mar\u00eda de Lluch Martorell, a member of the family that owns Aceites Martorell and CEO of the company. They market that brand and also produce their crown jewel: the premium Son Perot olive oil, part of the Oli de Mallorca PDO, made from the olives grown in this valley.<\/p>\n

For Mar\u00eda de Lluch, the olive oil world runs in the family. \u201cMy father and grandfather were already handling and selling oil. They were tasters and made the coupage at the mill\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Olivos

Maria de Lluch Martorell, owner of Son Perot, with her husband and manager, Rafa Molina.<\/p><\/div>\n

The estate, an old possessi\u00f3<\/em>, has long worked the land, produced oil, raised livestock and fruit trees\u2026<\/p>\n

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This year there is a feeling of joy due to the good harvest. \u201cThere are lots of olives and they are full of oil\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At the heart of the olive grove, about a hundred meters from the estate\u2019s main house, a four-person crew works tirelessly, beating one tree after another with determination yet without damaging the branches. In thirty minutes they manage to strip the tree and fill the nets spread across the ground, now speckled in green, brown and black, the colors of olives at different stages of ripening. They work from dawn to dusk, making the most of the day to obtain the finest olive juice at the mill. What they harvest is taken the same day to S\u00f3ller for pressing. They expect to complete the harvest within a month.<\/p>\n

\"Olivos

The olive-picking team during the beating and collection work.<\/p><\/div>\n

To bring the Son Perot oil to market, they blend three varieties: picual, arbequina and mallorquina. \u201cWe make a coupage of the three -Rafa explains- in proportions we define at home to create the oil we envision. Arbequina has more flavor, picual more strength, and mallorquina offers both strength and flavor. That\u2019s why we blend them: to achieve good aromas, good taste, an oil that doesn\u2019t scratch the throat. It\u2019s more golden than others. What people like about ours is that it goes down smoothly and the aroma returns afterwards. When you pour it over a tomato, it enhances the tomato\u2019s flavor; when you eat fish, it lifts the flavor of the fish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Olivos

A frugal breakfast with homemade provisions to carry on until midday.<\/p><\/div>\n

Son Perot produces around 15,000 kilos of olives per year, yielding about 3,000 liters of oil. \u201cThat is a huge amount for a premium brand. There\u2019s about a 20% extraction yield. The olives here, from this valley, perform quite well. We have a microclimate. The oldest, millenary trees bear fruit irregularly -some years heavily, other years less so, almost at random. They are native mallorquina specimens; the younger ones are arbequina and picual\u201d, the manager concludes.<\/p>\n

Noel Iv\u00e1n Blabia, the estate\u2019s pag\u00e8s<\/em> for the past four years, joins the group: \u201cIn this valley, olive trees practically grow everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Olivos

The estate\u2019s expert pag\u00e8s<\/em>, Noel Iv\u00e1n Blabia.<\/p><\/div>\n

As we approach the foot of the mountain, Noel guides us among thick trunks barely two meters tall, twisted whimsically upon themselves over the centuries, while he explains with delight the science of the olive tree. He tells us about his work restoring these veteran specimens. \u201cEl millor d’aquestes oliveres \u00e9s que s\u00f3n molt agra\u00efdes – the best thing about these olive trees is that they are very grateful\u201d, he repeats with admiration, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. \u201cMy life is this, the mountain. I don\u2019t know how to be in the city, I don\u2019t like it.\u201d It is no surprise that the olive trees are grateful to him.<\/p>\n

Image gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t