La Chinata is a family business, now run by Cecilio Oliva after taking over from his father a few years ago, along with his two sons Javier and Carlos. They're based in Extremadura, Spain, and oversee the end-to-end production of their famous smoked paprika - from sowing the seeds in January, to smoking the peppers in oak and then grinding them in stone mills to keep temperatures low and help retain natural flavours. "Every year's harvest is different, which means that each batch is a bit different", says Javier. Just as it should be.
