The Baena Designation of Origin area is located in the South-east of the Spanish province of Córdoba, where the gently rolling hills of the Córdoba countryside give way to the mountainous lands of the southern part of the province, and the Penibético sierra begins.

The heart of the production area is the municipality of Baena, and the olive oil area spreads over the municipalities of Doña Mencia, Luque, Nueva Carteya and Zuheros.

The soils that make the olive production of such a high quality are called "alberos" or pipeclay soils, developed from white cretaceous limestone and with a high calcium carbonate content and loamy texture.

The climate in this Designation of Origin area is sub-continental semi-humid, with mild winters and hot, dry summers. Average yearly rainfall varies between 600 and 800 l. The mean annual temperature is of around 16 or 17º C.

The authorised olive varietals are the Picuda (also known as the Carrasqueña de Córdoba), which is the most representative variety, and Lechín, Chorrúo, Pajarero, Hojiblanco and Picual.

Olive cultivation occupies practically the whole of this region, and has reached single-crop status in the last few years. The surface area registered by the Supervisory Council is 35,000 hectares of olive groves, divided amongst the 4,350 properties on census, and these produce 75 - 130 million kilograms of olives which in turn make between 15 and 26 million kilograms of olive oil (depending on the season).

Baena Designation of Origin olive oils are characterised by their high linoleic acid content (a property common to oil from the Picuda varietal olive), with a flavour varying from intensely fruity to sweet and smooth, and yellow in colour with tones ranging from greenish yellow to golden yellow. Only the extra virgin olive oils are protected. The Baena Designation of Origin Regulation is the basis for the protection of these olive oils with their long-standing tradition and prestige. Baena Designation of Origin oils comply with the characteristics required in the Regulation, definitively approved by the Andalucian Regional Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Decree of 26 October 1987 (modified by the Decree of 28 December 1995), and they are produced on Designation of Origin-registered land. The decree stipulates the guarantees and requirements for each of the different stages of olive oil production. The characteristics of the oils, their quality parameters and the controls to be carried out are clearly specified in chapter IV of this Regulation.

Map of Olive Oil Designations of Origin