The general assembly of members of the cooperative L’Olivera met on Friday, April 25th in Vallbona de les Monges to renew the organization’s leadership and close the 2024 activity year.

The oenologist at the Vallbona de les Monges winery and a worker-member of the cooperative since 2007, Clara Griera, was elected the new president of L’Olivera alongside a team formed by Pau Moragas as vice president, Martí Monfort as secretary, Enric Altisent as treasurer, and Madior Gueye, Alèxia Rioja, and Maria Pilar Massana as board members. Together, they make up the Governing Council of the cooperative L’Olivera, which also acts as the Board of Trustees of the L’Olivera Foundation.

Regarding her new role, Griera states:
“I’ve always been interested in L’Olivera’s political project. I joined mainly motivated by the project of coexistence and territorial development, and after a year I became involved as a worker-member. Being able to practice my profession as an oenologist here is a gift. So becoming president excites me because it offers me the opportunity to delve deeper into the cooperative side and it’s also a challenge, as we are going through a transitional period that must be managed.”
She adds a forward-looking perspective:
“I think the vision drives us forward — we will launch a new Strategic Plan to address key issues such as involving more members in the project, strengthening autonomy projects for individuals, and expanding markets. In this sense, I feel L’Olivera can be a benchmark in social innovation and rural development, especially by activating community strategies that respond to people’s needs.”
On taking over from Maria Dolors Llonch, who served as president from 2018 to 2025, Griera adds:
“It is meaningful to take over from a presidency that was so human, close and connected to L’Olivera’s social values. Maria Dolors Llonch has done a lot to promote the Can Calopa social project, build human-centered professional teams, and forge political alliances to strengthen the initiative.”

The outgoing president, Maria Dolors Llonch, also stated:
“It has been a great responsibility to work towards changing L’Olivera’s management model, maintaining the project’s founding spirit while advancing toward a more business-oriented approach. This has meant forming new teams and work dynamics, as well as integrating the entire Can Calopa operation into the overall L’Olivera project. The new Governing Council faces the challenge of consolidating this transformation and continuing to share it outwardly, to position L’Olivera’s unique proposal of coexistence and production. Every change brings opportunities for improvement, and I’m sure this one will too.”

2024: Fifty Years of History

The assembly also served as the formal closure of 2024, a year marked by the celebration of L’Olivera’s fiftieth anniversary.
“These have been fifty years filled with dreams, utopias and challenges in building and consolidating a transformative agricultural project,” said Carles de Ahumada, L’Olivera’s director.
It was also a special year because L’Olivera received several recognitions: the award for Best Olive Oil in Catalonia for its Oli de Finques; the Memorial Josep Maria Salas Peiró Award for its housing inclusion project in Molins de Rei; the award for best sustainable initiative in the third Costers del Segre Designation of Origin competition; recognition from Slow Food for responsible production; the Josep Mercader Award from the Barcelona Gastronomic Forum; and the award for Best Solidarity Initiative in the Wine World from the Catalan Association of Sommeliers.

As part of the fiftieth-anniversary celebrations, the book ‘50. L’Olivera, voices and life’ was published, collecting stories and experiences from the project. A commemorative wine, ‘The 50-Year Wine’, made from macabeu grapes, was also produced to honor half a century of accumulated knowledge. Three official events were held to bring together members, friends, and collaborators of L’Olivera.

Productively, it was a difficult year due to the drought. Even so, the project had a turnover of €3,477,800.83, with a profit of €17,742.71, and cultivated a total of 39.3 hectares of vineyards and olive groves. In the social field, 43 people were supported. “We are a resilient project. Despite economic crises or poor farming seasons, we will never stop seeking opportunities to produce a high-quality product with social value,” emphasizes president Clara Griera.