Acesur has obtained ENAC accreditation for its tasting panel, which has been operating for five years at the group’s main bottling plant located in Vilches (Jaén). This is a noteworthy milestone for the company, highlighting its strong commitment to the highest value-added category: extra virgin olive oil. It also reflects Acesur’s increasingly rigorous control over the traceability of all the oils it bottles, in a context where the group’s brands continue to lead both nationally and internationally.
Acesur’s tasting panel has been accredited under UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025. This is a formal recognition that the panel meets the technical and management requirements necessary to produce valid, reliable, and reproducible results. In Spain, this accreditation is granted by ENAC (National Accreditation Entity).
ENAC accredits tasting panels under the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard, which sets general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
The accreditation of an olive oil tasting panel by ENAC is based on regulations established by the International Olive Council (IOC), specifically in the document: COI/T.20/Doc. No 15/Rev. 11 (2024). 11 (2024)
Olive Oil Experts Across the Company
The head of the panel is Agustina Barneo, Acesur’s Laboratory Director. She holds a degree in Biology and has extensive experience in the olive oil sector. The panel is made up of 15 tasters, with another 20 currently in training. To be part of the panel, candidates must complete a 40-hour tasting course and gain an additional 60 hours of practical tasting experience.
The panel includes professionals from various departments—Quality, R&D, Purchasing, Production, Laboratory, Finance, and Sauces—reflecting the group’s philosophy of spreading knowledge of the raw material across all areas of the company.
Validating Results with Easy Taste
The results from our tasting panel are cross-checked using Easy Taste. This tool has streamlined Acesur’s operations over the past four years. Easy Taste is an innovative electronic nose powered by a proprietary analytical method. This system can quickly, reliably, and cost-effectively predict the commercial category of virgin olive oils: extra virgin, virgin, or lampante.
Thanks to machine learning, Easy Taste improves its accuracy with every olive oil it analyzes and now achieves a 93% match rate with the human tasting panel.
Traceability
Transparency is fundamental for Acesur. Through its exclusive and unique Triple 3Xtra quality protocol, consumers can access detailed information about the extra virgin olive oil they purchase (Origin, Flavor, and Quality) for each bottle.
This control is carried out in accredited laboratories, reinforcing Acesur’s strong commitment to food safety and quality assurance.
Vertical integration and digitalization have been key to Acesur’s transformation over the past decade. The company has evolved from being solely a bottler and distributor to becoming a global player that manages the entire value chain—from field to final consumer. Today, it directly produces 35% of the extra virgin olive oil it markets through its own mills.
Undisputed Leader in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Acesur is the market leader in extra virgin olive oil bottling, according to industry associations (ANIERAC and ASOLIVA), as well as Nielsen data, thanks to its flagship brands: Coosur and La Española.
