Paninos, a company based in the south of Spain, takes what has traditionally been a waste byproduct of olive oil production and turned it into an additional revenue stream.
In a small town in the heart of Spanish olive country, an age-old byproduct is finding a brand new use.
Paninos, which is based in Benamejí, Córdoba, has launched an initiative to use olive stones in new and innovative ways. The company takes these stones and transforms them into furniture, including bathroom and kitchen counter tops, among other things.
The new applications would also contribute to entrepreneurial development and to create more jobs in Andalusia’s rural environment.- Francisco Arjona, Paninos
Spain is responsible for almost half of the world’s olive stone production. During the 2018 – 19 harvest year, the country was expected to produce nearly 800,000 tons of the byproduct, most of which is currently burned as biomass.
The project began in 2013 with the main goal of seeking new uses for these olive stones, so that they could be transformed from a waste product into an additional stream of revenue for olive growers and oil producers.
“The new applications would also contribute to entrepreneurial development and to create more jobs in Andalusia’s rural environment,” Francisco Arjona, the innovator behind these olive stone-based coatings, told Olive Oil Times.
Arjona is a technical architect and is well acquainted with the olive oil sector. He works for two companies that produce, transform and sell olive oil stones, either for biomass or to be used in other industrial processes, such as cosmetics production and biocomposites. Juan Cabello, a carpenter, has worked with Arjona on the product’s development.
The creation of Paninos olive stone coatings has been the result of a long process that began with trying to stick the crushed olive stones to wood. Once a material similar to the current coating was achieved, the inventors realized its uniqueness, versatility and aesthetic potential for decoration. The crushed stones have many possibilities in terms of textures and designs. The material is also sustainable, durable and renewable.
“What we do is spread crushed olive stones over a board to which resin has been previously applied,” Arjona said. “Once the stones are adhered, the material is sanded and the resulting surface is covered with an olive stone flour filler. The material is then sanded again and coated with a transparent varnish.”
One of the advantages of the material is that it allows for a great diversity of colors and designs. In addition to tables, kitchen or bathroom counters, Paninos is also using olive stones to create doors, frames, wall panels, worktops, and other products.
According to Arjona, the coatings have a very competitive price, considering how unique and versatile they are. He and Cabello work mostly with stones from Arbequina, Hojiblanca and Picual olive varieties, although Arjona emphasized that the variety of the olive employed is irrelevant for the final product.
In 2018 Paninos obtained a European patent for this material. This January 2019 the company will join Spain’s ICEX-Exports and Investments stand at the Maison & Objet fair, which is held in Paris, to showcase their products to potential buys from around the globe.
Paninos is also working on developing new and different kinds of products related to olive stones.
More articles on: olive harvest, Spain
Jun. 5, 2023
Goya Spain GM Says the Global Olive Oil Sector Potential Lies with Young Consumers
Antonio Carrasco believes olive oil brands must define themselves through quality while communicating these values to young people.
Feb. 23, 2024
World Trade Organization Finds U.S. Noncompliant in Table Olive Trade Spat
The WTO ruled that the U.S. must remove tariffs on Spanish table olive imports, while a separate case is pending in the Court of Appeals.
Aug. 10, 2023
Asphalt Made with Olive Oil Byproducts Used to Pave a Highway in Spain
Local officials said the experimental asphalt is more environmentally friendly to manufacture, safer for workers and could provide new revenue for producers.
Jan. 2, 2024
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sales in Spain Fell by 40 Percent in 2023
The soaring retail price for extra virgin olive oil has driven the vital ingredient out of the reach of many families.
Jun. 13, 2023
Spanish Lawmakers Approve €2B Aid for Agriculture Sector Hit by Drought
While most of the funds are earmarked for improvements to water infrastructure and ranchers, the amount available to olive farmers is significantly less.
Oct. 11, 2023
Olive Farmers Find Creative Ways to Beat Labor Shortages as Harvest Begins
A teacher in Italy allows students to miss class to help with the harvest. A Croatian man's one-year prison sentence was delayed to let him harvest the family grove.
Jul. 11, 2023
The second-largest olive oil cooperative recorded total revenues of €280 million in the 2022 financial year, partially due to increased domestic sales by value.
Sep. 28, 2023
Regenerative Ag Practices Improve Profitability of Steep-Slope Olive Farms
After finding that soil health improved in abandoned steep-slope olive groves, researchers determined organic and regenerative farming could yield similar results.