The Mercat de l’oli nou in Barcelona successfully closes its first edition connecting the olive oil sector with urban audiences

The first Mercat de l’oli nou closes its doors this Sunday, having become a major new autumn gastronomic event in Barcelona. For three days, the event filled Plaça de Catalunya with the aroma, flavour and culture of olive oil, to an excellent public response.  

According to initial estimates, the Mercat de l'oli nou welcomed around 50,000 visitors, who were able to discover, taste and buy the first oil of the new harvest directly from its producers, extra virgin olive oils of extraordinary quality. In all, the exhibitors —more than fifty from 21 counties— saw the growing interest in quality, local oil among urban audiences. Buyers also opted particularly for the more gourmet packaging: the highest-quality extra virgin olive oils in 500 ml format were the star format. 

The Mercat thus fulfilled one of its main objectives: bringing the culture of extra virgin olive oil and the work of the territory's producers to the centre of Barcelona, to Plaça de Catalunya, something highly valued by both visitors and exhibitors: in a survey of all participating producers, the event was rated 9 out of 10. 

The Gastronomy Area and the Wine Bar, with a selection of new wines and the seasonal, local culinary offer of Villa Retiro, La Cala Navega (Palamós), the Guild of Cod Merchants of Catalonia, master pastry chef Oriol Balaguer and Caterí Cuinant Formatges, were also very well received, with more than 7,500 tastings and more than 4,600 glasses of new wine served between Friday and Sunday. 

The Olive Oil Classroom was also one of the busiest places at the Mercat. With the participation of more than 600 people, the tasting and live cooking sessions filled the square with audiences of all ages, attending sessions such as those by El Pallars Jussà olive grower Ivan Caelles (Xarxa d’Olivicultors-Oleïcultors de Catalunya-XOOC); Àngels Calvo, head of the Official Tasting Panel of Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia; and chefs of the calibre of Ada Parellada, Iolanda Bustos, Carlota Claver, Susana Aragón, Iñaki Aldrey and Oriol Balaguer, who demonstrated the versatility of first-pressing oil with proposals ranging from traditional cooking to the most refined pastry.

The organisers took a very positive view of this first edition. "The first edition of the Mercat de l’oli nou has shown the strength, quality and capacity for innovation of the Catalan olive oil sector. We have created a space that connects producers and citizens, that reinforces the value of our oil and that projects a distinctive, recognised gastronomic identity”, said the director of Prodeca, Dèlia Perpiñà.

After the success of this first edition, the Mercat achieved its objective of becoming the great showcase of Catalan extra virgin olive oil and bringing olive oil culture closer to urban audiences to discover, taste and buy first-pressing oil directly from the producers, strengthening the link between producers and citizens and highlighting one of Catalonia's gastronomic treasures, an essential ingredient of the Mediterranean Diet and a symbol of health, culture and identity.