An Overview Of Our Solution
We are the only large and professional urban organic farm and nursery in all of western Europe, daily open to the public, whose primary purpose is to produce and sell high quality organic MAP, combining the principles and methods of organic production. We dry, process, package and sell them as herbal teas and seasonings, with our own brand, to specialized shops and supermarkets in Portugal and several countries. All our products are made from seed to final products. Mother plants, which give rise to seeds and vegetative propagules used in the propagation of all our plants, are cultivated in the gardens around the farm, ensuring the local origin of the genetic material, which is essential for the future adaptation of the plants to our soil and climate conditions.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Urban
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Europe
General Information
Organization type
Corporación/Sector Privado
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Urban/Built Environment
Population impacted
50,000 people
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
3,00 ha
Production quantity
7000 kilos
People employed
10 people
Solution
Describe your solution
We began operations in 2002 in this city, once a very important rural area, as the first licensed nursery in the country exclusively dedicated to the production of more than 200 species of medicinal and aromatic organic potted plants, some of them endemic and endangered, for national sale, which we maintain until today. In 2005 the whole project has been opened to the public for daily visitation. In 2007, we began to produce and regularly export several tons of bulk organic medicinal and aromatic plants, primarily destined for the organic cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, which we did until 2012. In 2007 we started our online store, the first one in Portugal selling potted organic medicinal and aromatic plants. Today we can sell and send our products to anywhere in the world. The farm is open to the public from Monday to Saturday and everyone can visit our production fields and enjoy the space. We opened a shop and tea house, where we directly sell our products and they are available every day for our visitors to taste. We regularly organize several workshops throughout the year to teach everything about medicinal and aromatic plants and organic farming. This relationship of a company with the public is very unusual, but at the same time has allowed us to generate a very empathic relationship with what we do because we are real, the farmer has a face and our products can be followed from the nursery to processing, drying and packaging.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
N/A
External connections
N/A
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Cantinho das Aromáticas is located on the northern coast of Portugal, between Vila Nova de Gaia and Porto, very close to where the Douro River runs into the Atlantic, on a beautiful farm where Dom Pedro I, the eighth King of Portugal, lived in the 14th century. The location of our production garden has climactic advantages, since the farm is located near the sea in a transition zone between the Mediterranean and Atlantic climates. This unique climate, together with the enormous care which we have put into the preparation of the soil, gives unique and unequalled character to our herbs. Another differentiating factor is the love and dedication that we give to our production from the seed to the final product. We have a profound understanding of all the plants which we produce, their favorite exposure, their watering needs, the best way to dry them and even the best temperature and timing to create the perfect infusion from each one.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Maintain the production of the best organic herbal teas and seasonings. Allow new farmers to replicate our project. Increase the number of visitors in the farm. Promote more direct and online sales reducing the distribution channels. More R & D work. Contribute to the democratization of consumption of organic herbal teas in Portugal and other European countries, help promoting healthy reduction in the consumption of salt in food and its replacement by organic seasonings. Explore new ingredients. To provide the best working conditions to employees, referring to models of economic value creation that also create an unquestionable value for the society in which we are inserted, motivating more sustainable behaviors.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
All over the cultivation area we have gardens full of different melliferous plants, attracting helpful insects and birds. In the uncultivated fields we have several cows and horses of ancient Portuguese breeds, some of which are endangered, which help us to keep the farm clean and produce manure. The presence of these animals, together with the innumerable species of helpful insects, birds and reptiles, hedgehogs and bats and even our dog, create the enormous biodiversity of our farm. We promote the regular composting of all organic waste produced, which returns to the productive cycle every time a new planting is done. We believe that the promotion of biodiversity is a crucial condition for obtaining the unique quality of the marvelous plants that we produce, which is reflected subsequently in the immense pleasure which these products will produce for those who taste them.
Language(s)
Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?
Water
All the soil is covered with a special screen that, among other things, helps to control weeds, keeps the water in the soil for longer periods and heats the soil causing the plants to grow slightly faster. We have 15 km of water dripping pipes under the screen and two weather stations. The installed irrigation system allows to efficiently manage the water needs of plants and generates a significant saving of water resources.
Food Security/Nutrition
We are GlobalG.A.P, organic (ECOCERT) and Kosher certified. We have our own brand of organic products of high quality which can be purchased online, to be delivered anywhere in the world. We have been providing MAP workshops over the last 10 years in various prestigious institutions across the country.
Economic/Sustainable Development
We are the only large and professional urban organic farm and nursery in all of western Europe, daily open to the public, whose primary purpose is to produce and sell high quality organic MAP, combining the principles and methods of organic production. We dry, process, package and sell them as herbal teas and seasonings, with our own brand, to specialized shops and supermarkets in Portugal and several countries.
Climate
Our plants are produced and processed in the same location (low food miles), with minimal handling of the raw material. We cultivate wild and rare species in our country, which have become lost in the Portuguese traditional culinary.
Sustainability
Since 2011 we have been playing a very active role by sharing our knowledge with new farmers who started their own projects, replicating our production model and example as a reference. Therefore we have been contributing decisively for the creation of a new agri-food sector in Portuguese agriculture, which is intended to be unique in the world and 100% organic. We are always willing and trying to disseminate the concept and provide technical support and to sharing knowledge to those who want to launch new projects in the area. Due to the importance of our work, we were honored in 2012 by the President of the Portuguese Republic, for contributing to the creation of a new paradigm for small and medium-sized agricultural projects in Portugal.
Return on investment
N/A
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
All these actions contribute decisively to an urban organic agricultural ecosystem, which provides a service for the population being fundamental on their quality of life. Our production model can be replicated anywhere in Europe.