Few artists define a lifestyle as proudly as Joan Manuel Serrat and his “Nací en el Mediterráneo” (I was born in the Mediterranean). When the Romans expanded around what was then known as “Mare Nostrum” they were probably unaware they were creating much more than an empire. They gave birth to a lifestyle that survived the fall of the Empire itself and that still defines many countries, including Spain. This lifestyle is admired worldwide for many reasons, and one of the main ones is the Mediterranean diet.
Oil: the Mediterranean diet’s star ingredient
The prestigious American magazine US News & World Report has recently drawn up a world ranking of the best diets for 2022. This ranking considered the diet’s easiness, effectiveness for weight loss, nutritional integrity, safety, and the prevention of diabetes and heart disease. Topping the list, unsurprisingly, is the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is the best diet at preventing diabetes and heart disease and the easiest among all the diets included in the study. So, what is the secret of this millenary diet? Although all Mediterranean countries differ in their diets, they share several factors: the scarcity of meat, the preference for fresh products, or the high consumption of fruit and vegetables. Olive oil, of course, is the star ingredient.
As Mediterranean diet experts would say: Olive oil or butter, that is the question. Let’s forget for a moment the “Mare Nostrum” and let’s take the United States as an example. In this country, the use of butter goes far beyond the famous pancake breakfasts we see in the movies, leaving olive oil to play a marginal role.
Olive oil: a synonym for longevity
On Tuesday, 11th January, Harvard University, one of the emblems of the American nation, published a report recognizing the long-term benefits of olive oil. The study was about taking some participants to consume nine daily oil grams. The participants got to have a 17% lower risk of mortality from cancer, an 18% lower risk from respiratory disease, a 19% lower risk from cardiovascular disease, and a 29% lower risk from neurodegenerative disease.
Olive oil is healthy and, therefore, the greatest treasure of the Mediterranean basin. And luckily, as far as oil is concerned, Spain is the richest country in the world. During the 2020-21 campaign, 1.45 million tons of olive oil were harvested in our country. The next producers are Italy and Greece with 250,000 tons each, a figure five times lower.
While the traditional treasures were hidden in chests, the oil lies inside the fruit that inhabits the olive groves: the olive. Obtaining the best quality “liquid gold” requires a good extraction process. A process that has improved over the years, allowing us to move from crops based on the quantity of oil to campaigns focused on obtaining the best quality oil.
Olimaker and its “treasure key”
A few months ago, we at Fellow Funders had the opportunity to meet Olimaker. This Andalusian company, the “cradle” of olive oil, will revolutionize the oil world with the first micro olive oil mill for domestic use. With this device, Spanish families will be able to obtain olive oil of the highest quality in their own homes, and above all, farmers will be able to test the oil produced by their olive groves in situ without having to travel to a traditional olive mill.
Olimaker’s project seduced us from the very first moment. We are sure that it will allow our greatest treasure, olive oil, to shine in all Spanish homes and even beyond our borders. For this reason, we are currently helping them to raise funds through an equity crowdfunding round.
Olive oil is healthy. It is longevity. It is our greatest treasure, and now you can invest in it through our platform!
