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Last Wednesday, October 6, 2021, a milestone took place that is set to mark a before and after not only in the history of LA Organic but also in the olive oil tourism sector: we laid the first stone of our Olive Mill Museum, an avant-garde architectural project full of symbolism, unique in the world, where our visitors can immerse themselves and learn everything about olive oil, its universe, its processes, its flavors and its history.
Thus, our Almazara will be much more than a place where we will extract the juice from our olives to create the best organic olive oil in the world; our Almazara will be a museum and a tribute to oil, to Ronda, to Andalusia and its folklore. In the words of Philippe Starck, alma mater of the project, “it is like Andalusia: austere, rigorous, real, exaggerated, extreme, timeless, strong, spiritual and passionate. It is the mill and the working tool, as well as a monumental temple to the glory of the eternal olive oil”.
From the building’s façade, a cube measuring 30 by 30 by 25 meters, will emerge a huge horn in allusion to the bull -not in vain, Starck calls the building “the bull”- as well as a 12-ton olive and a 15-meter eye, a nod to Pablo Picasso, which will serve as a chimney. Francisco de Goya and the father of aeronautics, Abbas Ibn Firnas, will also be featured.
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE FROM THE FIRST STEP
After entering the mill through the “estoque” -a 45-meter tunnel that will project the sound of falling olives- visitors can watch the process of olive transformation into EVOO through glass panels, taste the organic products we grow on our farm in the cafeteria or go home with a souvenir from the store.
SUSTAINABILITY AND AVANT-GARDE
This project, led by LA Organic and GBS Finance, was conceived by Philippe Starck, one of the most renowned global designers and architects, in collaboration with Touza Arquitectos, and is the result of many years of work by an unsurpassed team that has always focused on ecology and the environment. That is why, in addition to resources such as a water collection system for irrigation of the olive grove, solar panels and air recuperators that will ensure maximum energy efficiency, recycled and sustainable materials will be used, which will become part of the natural landscape of Ronda and the symbolic-cultural landscape of our country as nature invades them to make the olive mill its own.
SOURCE OF TOURISM, EMPLOYMENT AND WEALTH
The Museum-Oil Mill LA Organic will consolidate Ronda as an obligatory stop in the tourist circuits of Andalusia, with a forecast of attracting about 200,000 visitors per year. We focus on quality tourism, which will stay overnight in the city and demand other activities such as restaurants, stores and hotels, which will undoubtedly be very beneficial for the region. This Almazara will be a world reference of design, culture and tourism that will enhance the image of Ronda in the world, as did other emblematic buildings designed by important architects, for example the Bodega Marqués de Riscal in El Ciego by Frank Gehry, or the Alhóndiga and Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
In our commitment to Ronda and its region, the project will also be a source of employment. Not only are we working with a local construction company, but we will also generate 160 direct jobs and 825 indirect jobs and, once it is up and running, 50 direct jobs and at least 250 indirect jobs.
THANK YOU
All this would not be possible without the shareholders, who several years ago bet on a totally pioneering project in the oil and tourism sector. We want to thank all of them and especially the Villarmir family, thank you Juan. We would also like to thank the Touza architecture studio (especially Julio), Stefano Robotti, architect and collaborator of Philippe Starck, and our project managers of the company Areall. Thank you all for your patience.
A special mention to Pedro Gómez de Baeza, Perico, who knew how to infect us with his enthusiasm and energy to promote this project after an inspiring visit to the Marqués de Riscal winery eight years ago. And, of course, thanks to our customers, because you make LA Organic’s adventure a reality.
We are confident that this mill will consolidate LA Organic as a spearhead in the olive oil tourism sector and, more importantly for us, will be the culmination of our vision: to offer our visitors an extraordinary experience and to infect them with our passion for the world of olive oil.
