We are a fourth-generation family business, founded in 1945 in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.
Sustainability is part of our identity: we inherited land and a trade, and we work to pass them on to the fifth generation in better condition than we received them.
Preserving them requires method: certified organic farming, regenerative agriculture, and comprehensive production control.
What makes an olive oil sustainable?
Organic certification marks the verifiable minimum. What sustains an olive grove in the long term is seen in other things: soil life, the biodiversity that inhabits it, water use, and the ability to trace each batch back to the farm where it originated.
At PONS, we apply this criterion farm by farm, with organic certification and regenerative practices. The difference lies in the timeframe: an olive tree planted today will produce for the next generation, so every agronomic decision is made with decades in mind, not just the next harvest.
Certified organic farming
Organic farming is the starting point of our model.
Our range is certified EU Organic (by the CCPAE) and USDA Organic (NOP) for the US market: cultivation without pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilizers, verified by independent bodies.
The difference matters: a certification does not depend on what the brand says, but on external control. This transparency is what builds trust among consumers, distributors, and professional buyers.
Regenerative agriculture on our own farm
At PONS, regenerative agriculture is not a future aspiration: it's how we manage our farms today, with the soil, the product, and scientific rigor as one. These are the practices we currently apply:
Composting and soil regeneration
We apply organic compost, including composted cattle manure. This improves soil structure and porosity, increases water retention, a decisive factor in a Mediterranean climate, and reactivates microbial life in the soil.
Returning pruning residue to the soil
We shred pruning residue using mulching systems and return it directly to the soil. This adds organic matter and stable carbon, feeding the microorganisms that drive the nutrient cycle.
Permanent cover crops
Cover crops, both spontaneous and sown, including nitrogen-fixing species, with selective mowing timed to each stage of the growing cycle. They reduce soil erosion, improve water infiltration and capture carbon.
Ecological infrastructure
We preserve and create stone walls, wooded areas and wetlands within the estate and its surroundings. These are reservoirs of biodiversity: insects, birds and other species live alongside the olive grove all year round.
Ecosystem-based plant health
We rely on biological control and beneficial fauna. The greater the diversity of species living on the estate, the harder it becomes for a pest to take hold, which in many cases allows us to reduce treatments.
Water management
Adjusted irrigation and soil management aimed at retaining moisture. A soil richer in organic matter withstands dry periods better: it is the estate's first reservoir.
Soil Health and Life
It all starts beneath our feet. Living soil, rich in organic matter, makes better use of water and supports a healthier olive tree: the foundation of quality oil.
Biodiversity and territory
The olive grove is part of a much larger ecosystem. Our Varietal Garden, With over 300 varieties of olive trees, it is our space for research and genetic conservation.
Innovation with measurable results
We collaborate with Alltech Crop Science on the CIMA project, which places soil health at the center of agronomic decisions in our olive groves and vineyards (L'Albagés and La Pobla): three complete soil evaluations per year, with advanced microbiological analysis, enzymatic activity, and nutrient mobilization.
What is not measured cannot be improved; that is why we measure results, not just apply practices. These are the reference figures for comparable regenerative projects from Alltech:
Traceability and control: a 100% vertically integrated model
When an olive is picked from the tree, it is still alive: its own enzymes begin to break down the fruit's fat, and heat accelerates the process. The aroma fades and the acidity rises even before it becomes oil. That's why no batch exceeds 5 tons, and less than 30 minutes pass from field to mill.
This 100% vertically integrated model guarantees traceability from the source. More than an organizational matter, it is how we take full responsibility for the product and the land it comes from.
Renewable energy and low-impact machinery
Solar energy already powers the agricultural facilities and the winery. By 2027, the plan is to incorporate autonomous electric tractors and electric agricultural drones on the farms: less fossil fuel and, above all, less weight on the soil.
Land that we have been regenerating for years also gets compacted under the wheels, so caring for it includes deciding what goes into the field.
Olive oil and food sustainability
The sustainability of a food system is also decided product by product: where it comes from, how much it is processed, and how long it lasts. Extra virgin olive oil is olive juice, obtained by mechanical means and cold-pressed, unrefined and with nothing added. Few everyday foods reach the table with so little processing.
Our contribution is an oil whose origin can be known, whose production is completely controlled, and whose quality comes from an agricultural model that takes care of the landscape, the soil, and the people who work it.