Molí de l’Hereu: an olive-oil legacy in Ráfales

The Molí de l'Hereu is a building dating from the 18th century that functioned as an olive-oil mill until the 1970s. Originally, this mill belonged to the influential family of Casa l'Hereu, landowners who exerted great control over the local economy of Ráfales. It played a fundamental role in oil production in the village, being the only significant olive-oil mill in the area, beyond a few small rudimentary installations.

The construction of the building is distinguished by the use of rubble masonry and rammed earth, a traditional technique that uses clay and gravel in the building of its robust walls. Inside the Molí de l'Hereu the original machinery used in the traditional olive-oil production process is preserved. This includes the millstones for grinding the olives, two presses of different types and periods, decanting tanks, and a variety of implements related to the whole process. Of the two presses, the oldest is a lever press, which required human or animal strength to apply pressure via a large wooden beam. The other press, more modern, was hydraulic and ran on electric power, demonstrating the technological evolution of the sector.