Narrator: This machine vibrates trees
to shake off thousands of ripe olives at once.
Spain produces roughly half of the world's olive oil,
and most of that comes from a single cooperative
in the south of the country,
where 75,000 families work together to farm their groves.
Narrator: So even though it may not look like it,
this industry is struggling.
Narrator: In 2022, Europe experienced its worst drought in 500 years,
making it tougher for these farmers
to grow the olives they need.
Narrator: Farmers didn't have enough water for this year's crops.
Some have harvested half the amount of olives
they did last year.
Narrator: We went to Antequera, Spain, to see how these farmers
bottle up millions of liters of olive oil
despite a record-breaking drought.
Olive groves stretch across 6.8 million acres of Spain,
making the country the largest exporter
of extra-virgin olive oil in the world.
Olive oil production here
dates back to the second millennium BC.
Andalusia once supplied olive oil for the Roman Empire.
But in modern times,
Spain hasn't always dominated the market,
mainly because the bulk of what it used to produce
was a low-quality blend.
That changed about 25 years ago, when producers invested
in new harvesting practices and machinery.
That's what makes today's olive oil higher quality
and much more expensive.
Benito's family has been growing olives for generations.
His grandfather, also called Benito,
got into the business in 1908.
He collects olives from November to January,
then switches to preparing the olive trees
for the next harvest.
But it's not an exact science.
Narrator: It all starts in the fields.
Machines called vibradoras
shake ripened olives out of the trees.
Narrator: This method doesn't damage the branches or the tree trunk.
It just makes the ripe olives fall to the ground.
Benito says he's never harvested so few olives in a season.
Narrator: Satellite images show just how dry this area has become.
Winter precipitation was down by more than a third.
Trees that don't get enough water are tougher to farm.
It's harder to pull the olives off the branches, because ...
Narrator: In 2019, Benito would gather
around 8,000 kilos of olives in a day.
Some days this season, he barely gets 1,000 kilos.
Narrator: It's also stiflingly hot.
Narrator: Benito says winters are also less severe.
And without enough water, the trees won't grow.
Narrator: The damage to the trees gets worse
every year of the drought.
Narrator: Here's what happens to the olives that do survive.
Farmers unload their crops
in processing facilities run by Dcoop,
and a conveyor belt carries thousands of raw olives an hour.
They're gently washed
to remove any remaining dirt from the groves,
but the value of their crop isn't set.
The olives have to be taste-tested first.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the least processed.
It's extracted not through the use of heat or chemicals,
but by grinding the olives and pressing out the oil.
That's what makes extra-virgin
the most expensive type of olive oil.
But it's also considered healthier,
because it retains all of its natural vitamins
and antioxidants.
First, machines blend the olives into a thick paste.
Narrator: Then, massive decanters extract the oil out of the mush.
They also keep the olive waste, called alperujo.
After it's composted, it's used as fertilizer or fuel.
Narrator: Dcoop maintains high standards for quality,
and Francisco Aguado tries to make sure
every bottle leaving this factory is perfect.
The new olive oil is stored in huge stainless-steel tanks.
Nitrogen fills the gap at the top of the canister
to keep the oil fresh.
It's kept in the dark at a constant temperature.
Dcoop has the biggest olive oil storage facility
in the world.
It can hold 300,000 metric tons.
That's one third of an oil tanker.
The tanks can keep oil fresh for up to two years.
Each batch of olives has a distinct fragrance.
Narrator: Finally, the olive oil is poured into bottles and sealed.
Now it's ready to be delivered all over the world.
Spain's olive industry was doing much better
just a few years ago.
In 2019, Dcoop produced over 275,000 tons of oil,
more than it could sell.
But then, demand for olive oil skyrocketed
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Narrator: This year, farmers project a harvest of under 90,000 tons,
about a third of their record-breaking year in 2019.
And olive oil remains one of the priciest
cooking oils in the world.
As of January 2023,
a bottle of Dcoop's extra-virgin olive oil
sells for over $10.
And just like everything else these days,
inflation is squeezing oil producers.
Narrator: Farmers like Benito say they're following practices
advised by the engineers at Dcoop.
Farmers can pass through the groves with a tractor.
That kicks up dust that coats the trees.
Narrator: They also plant vegetables in the ground between the trees
to maintain the fertility of the soil.
And they say they've improved irrigation systems
to distribute the little water that's available.
Narrator: And without enough water,
producing olive oil is going to remain difficult.
But Benito says he and other farmers will keep trying.