Before La Cultivada existed, there was in fact another brand: Cortijo Arbequel.. It was created by my father.
He didn’t have the patience to take it far, but he did have the patience to plant trees, just like the protagonist in the story by Jean Giono.
And although he may not have seemed like one to the outside world, my father was an artist too.
In La Cultivada’s early days, he used to say that I didn’t fit in, that this whole olive oil thing wasn’t for me, that I was wasting my potential.
When it came to designing the brand’s image, I knew it had to be an artist who truly made it their own.
I didn’t want the marketing perfection or to follow a pre-established model. Pedro Mora encouraged me to create my own brand of oil.
It wouldn’t have polished marketing perfection, but it would carry the artist’s imperfect touch.
I love imperfection, everything gets much more interesting and beautiful
(one of those messages we found in Casa Icon)
My father’s name was also Pedro.. He didn’t understand what had bitten me to dedicate myself to this… But from his example I learned two values that are essential to this project: the perseverance and the pursuit of excellence.
Building a brand from scratch, taking it out into the world and sticking with it is a tough journey. But when it comes from the heart, onwards you go. I wanted to create something with soul, just like he created forests of olive trees.
So in the end, we were both artists – each doing it, in the words of Sinatra, my way.
Now,I realise how much he taught me without even trying, and how his roots run deeper in me than I ever imagined.
Being a father is that too: cultivating, waiting, trusting.
Elena Vecino
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