ISO 9001 implementation and associated manufacturing and marketing practices in the olive oil industry in southern Spain

This article examines 1) the factors that condition the implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS) meeting the requirements of ISO 9001 in the olive oil industry of Andalusia, the world-leading olive oil producing region in southern Spain; and 2) whether the implementation of ISO 9001 is associated with the use of better manufacturing and marketing practices by these industries. The study is based on a survey of 101 olive oil enterprises. As conditioning factors, the managerial and supervisory staff of ISO 9001 enterprises tend to be younger and more dynamic, highly educated and more in touch with new, high-quality sources of information, more willing to take risks, less focused on economic profit, and more oriented to selling olive oil further and faster. Good manufacturing practices are, in general, widespread in the Andalusian olive oil industry. Regarding marketing practices, ISO 9001 industries are more reliant on the use of ICTs and on the diversification of the type of olive oil sold. The policy implications of the work carried out are diverse if a wider implementation of ISO 9001 and better practices are the aim: fostering rejuvenation and formal education; training and information programmes based on successful ISO 9001 enterprises; proving the economic viability of ISO 9001; improving access to credit; and developing innovative marketing strategies.