Principal Economic Activity


The principal economic activity is the elaboration and the sale of olive oil


-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (100% olive juice): Also known as AVOE, it is obtained exclusively with mechanical procedures in the first pressing, or manually and cold. To be considered as such, it must have an acidity level of less than 0.8% in the tests carried out. It is the highest quality among all olive oils. It stands out for its intense green color, and it is the one that best preserves its properties, something important in health matters. The essential thing is that it is the first extraction.



-Virgin Olive Oil (100% olive juice): It is taken through mechanical cold pressing procedures, in a second pressing of the olives that were used for the extra virgin. Its acidity level is greater than 0.8% (but should always be less than 2%), and it has a less strong flavor than before. 

 


-Pure olive Oil: To create this type of olive oil, a mixture of refined oils and virgin oils is used. Its acidity level should not exceed 1%. It has lower quality than the previous ones and its flavor varies depending on the oils used for its preparation. It usually comes from defective olive oils from previous processes. When refining is carried out, a neutral fat is created, without sensory qualities, and to improve the result, be able to market it and reach the points of sale, a small amount of virgin or extra virgin olive oil is added. It is important to know that in this process the authorities allow the use of lower quality olives, those that have small defects, collected from the ground or have been frozen during ripening.



The olive oil tasting consists of tasting this product through a sensory analysis that includes smell, touch and, of course, taste. As a curiosity, the sense of sight is not used in expert tastings, as they do not provide definitive information. 

Shopping and Tourism

Another main economic activity of Úbeda is the huge range of different shops which can be found in our city, from supermarkets,clothes shops... to traditional ones . We also take advantage of the shortage of shops in the villages near Úbeda so that everyone who lives around here tend to come to Úbeda to buy wathever they need or want. Apart from that, restaurants and hostelery are also a big part of our local economy, as there is a restaurant in nearly every corner of our city and going out for lunch or having some drinks with our famous Spanish "tapas" is one of our favourite plans.