Yancanelo, a major producer of extra virgin olive oil in Argentina’s Mendoza providence, has announced it will invest 500,000 pesos ($121,833) in a new bottling line at its plant in San Rafael. With this move the company triples its bottling capacity and secures its place as the country’s biggest bottler of olive oil.
Founded in 1943, Yancanelo was the region’s first olive oil factory and has been producing extra virgin olive oils in Argentina for over 60 years. Yancanelo exports its products to venders in Italy, Venezuela, Brazil and the United States. The company currently offers two extra virgin oils: Yancanelo Tradicional and Yancanelo Sinolea Method.
Yancanelo also operates an olive oil museum and offers tours of its plant throughout the year. The museum gives visitors a chance to learn about traditional olive oil production methods, view antique machinery and enjoy a gourmet lunch featuring different olive oils and other regional products.
With approximately 30,000 visitors per year, Yancanelo’s plant is the most visited in Argentina. The plant is equipped with a dozen 500-ton stainless steel storage tanks, a high-tech quality control laboratory and now a state-of-the-art bottling line that can pump out 5,000 kg of olive oil per hour.
“This is an important investment for Yancanelo. It allows us to increase our capacity and respond to market demand, both for our own products and those of third parties, ” said Gian Franco Andreani, head of Yancanelo’s holding company, Grupo Agroindustrial Andreani. The group also owns Meridiano (conserves, pickles and jams), Umbro (wine) and around 2,470 acres of olive groves in Mendoza.
“This investment will allow us to manage the boom in sales and expand the diversity of our production. In Argentina less than 50 percent of olive oil is bottled at the source, unlike wine of which is 100 percent is bottled at the source. We’re hoping that the situation changes and the industry benefits, resulting in products of higher quality for both the domestic and international markets,” Andreani added.
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