After six months dedicated to the success stories selection and preparation, the COOPID project – an active H2020 project that works to develop knowledge transfer strategies to support the uptake of biobased business models across the EU primary sector – carried out an online visit to Oleícola El Tejar, a second-degree Spanish cooperative (a cooperative of cooperatives) that makes integral use of the by-products of olive grove, especially the wet pomace resulting from the oil mill industry. Currently, the cooperative is composed of almost 250 associated entities that process the olives of more than 80,000 farmers, who cultivate more than 400,000 ha.
During the visit (conducted online due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions), Oleícola El Tejar transfered knowledge about the origin of its solutions and presented experiences regarding the production of olive pomace oil as well as about the obtention of a wide range of products from wet pomace and olive by-products, such as: bioenergy, biofertilizers, pulp for animal nutrition, natural bioproducts with high added value and even solid fuels – active valorisation lines that allow Oleícola El Tejar to “close the loop”.
Oleícola El Tejar also presented its business model, which has developed over the years in response to the needs and problems of the olive sector and of its almost 250 partner olive oil mills – main core members of Oleícola El Tejar, without them the existence of the cooperative would not be possible. Lastly, participants were able to see first-hand the installations of Oleícola El Tejar and share a rich discussion.
