The production area of CARM olive oils lies in the heart of the Upper Douro - the Douro Superior - considered the cradle of the best “letter A” Port wine vineyards. Here we still can find traces of Roman culture dating from the 2nd century BC, as well as traces left by the Arabs dating between the 7th and 11th centuries. CARM’s olive groves lie in the heart of this area surrounding the Almendra village. This is one of the areas in Portugal with the best natural characteristics for olive oil production with high quality standards arising from the distinctiveness of the very poor schist soils, the exposure of the ol - ive groves and a dry climate with extreme temperatures between summer and win - ter. The olive groves are situated between 150 and 450 meters above sea level. For the production of “Praemium” CARM olive oil we select the best Madural, Negrinha and Verdeal olive varieties from our farms.