Every year since 1974, they have travelled to Cos from their Andalusian village of Alcalá la Real. Forever loyal, our Spanish harvesters allow us to face each harvest with serenity. It is a story of mutual trust from one generation to the next that they are delighted to share with you today!
Mercedes González Serrano
« I came to Cos three times without my husband, first when I was fourteen. Then I got married and we left the children with their grandparents. That’s when we began coming to Cos together, my husband and I, every year.
The work isn’t necessarily different from what you can find in Spain, but it’s a good way to complement our earnings, and they treat us very well, almost affectionately. The people are kind and the food and housing are very nice. We have it pretty good! »
Mercedes Montañes García
« I have been coming to harvest at Cos since I was sixteen. I came every year until I turned twenty-five and then stopped for ten years. Now I’ve been coming to Cos every year for the past thirty years.
Why am I so faithful? The wages are good, of course, but it’s more than that: the ambience is pleasant, the people are nice, and the boss is quite kind-hearted. They ask us to come back every year and send us a note every time to thank us and tell us that they are counting on us. I think it’s a very good experience. »
Jaime Olmo García, Head of the group
« My uncle introduced me to Cos d’Estournel. He was the one who started bringing everyone here. They all started coming to Cos from a young age because there was no work in Spain.
Then my uncle asked me to head the group, and since I liked Cos d’Estournel so much, I accepted. The people who come harvest here have been doing so from generation to generation, and sometimes this has resulted in significant events: marriages, births…
It is really the best place you could imagine working at because they take very good care of us here, and the feeling of trust we share with the teams is very important to us. We even stay in touch beyond the harvest period to make sure everything is going well and to maintain this beautiful relationship. »
María Del Carmen Castillo Álvarez
« We—my husband, my daughter, and myself—have been coming to harvest here for fifteen years. We tried working somewhere else, but we changed, and it suits us well! I think it goes both ways: the team at Cos d’Estournel must think we work quickly and well. At least, that’s what we try to do, as well as we can, especially by bringing more and more young people with us each time! »
Maria Rocío Jiménez Palomino
« I have been coming to Cos for four years. My parents came for seventeen years, and then my brother and I took over. We come back every year for the conviviality that we find here and nowhere else. »
