Regional is “good”!

It’s an unusual story of urban exodus. Couple João (40) and Isalinda Louro (51) left Lisbon for the Algarve a little over a year and a half ago. He left first, to work in property sales (which didn’t last very long). His wife followed after. In this short space of time they’ve created their small cottage industry of regional products that are today sold in more than 50 shops, in and out of the country.

“We began noticing that all around us, in Ferradeira – between Faro and Estói – there were fruit orchards that still used traditional forms of production. Add to that my long-standing hobby of making jams for friends and family”, and the idea, based on «Sabores da Avó Linda» was born. The name “Linda” is actually in memory of Isalinda’s mother and grandmother – from whom she learnt the recipes that she uses, following them to the letter.

“There’s no secret behind the production of our jams. It’s fruit, sugar and water. We wait for the mixture to thicken after hours on the hob. You couldn’t possibly reproduce these processes in an industrial environment”, explains João Louro. “We work on a very small scale. We never make more than 15 to 20 jars (maximum) in each batch”.

Following success at their first test fair in Lisbon, over the Christmas of 2008, the couple found the motivation to turn professional. And, contrary to what usually happens, they say the process of obtaining a licence was quick and pretty free of bureaucracy.

From the start “our main objective has been to promote all the Algarve’s regional products – from its fruit to its vegetables. And everything that we needed to develop our goal had to have a local origin”, explained Isalinda. You can see this, for example, in the small wooden boxes that the couple uses to present some of their jams. These were made by hand by a carpenter in Faro.

And in spite of the competition from numerous industrial products, all similar – and some a great deal cheaper – the couple has been rushed off their feet tryng to satisfy demand.

“Very surprisingly we found a niche for ourselves beyond the gourmet circles. In the beginning, we thought of looking for outlets that would sell our jams in the most affluent areas of the Algarve”. But, then they realised it was unnecessary. “Our products are bought by all types of people – simply people who don’t want to buy mass produced products”, João adds.

Another innovative idea from this couple is their production of chutneys – something little known in Portuguese gastronomy.

“These came from one of our own passions. We used to buy chutneys made by nuns from a convent in Lisbon – “Convento dos Cardais no Príncipe Real”.

It began really as a “sideline”, and some people really didn’t like them! They didn’t actually spit them out – because it’s rude to do that… but these days, the couple’s melon with ginger is quite sought after by English and German clients. Algarvian customers prefer the more standard vegetable-based chutneys, using green and red peppers, and redolent with marjoram and basil. “We’ve also just developed another line – sweet-and-sour jams, made using Balsamic vinegar!” João tells.

Another producer who has developed new regional products is Luís Silvestre, 51. He has his distillery in the village of Talurdo, deep in the hills near Silves. It’s a business he inherited, from his father-in-law, which goes back to 1713…

Self-taught, he’s been a licensed producer since 1995 – although his career began many years before that. Two years ago, he launched his “chocolates with medronho”, and more recently he developed a new product called “melada”.

This summer he was proud to have created brandy from the legendary sweet potatoes of Aljezur.

“When I had this idea, everyone said it wouldn’t be possible – that other people before me had tried and failed”. Alongside various liqueurs, he also produces brandies made from carob, fig and honey.

“Quality” is, for this producer, all-important. One of the highest production costs is in his “packaging”. Some of his bottles are custom-made in Italy!

Marinha Grande (near Leiria), used to be the “Portuguese Mecca for glass-making”, but “the factories closed down and the workers laid off because they weren’t able to come up with personalised bottles” he tells.

“We talk about small and micro-sized business in Portugal, but in reality, every client is treated on an industrial scale. If I need to make bags with my logo on them, for instance, I am pretty much obliged to order a massive amount” in order to get a competitive price. Luís Sequeira explains that, as he sees it, the Portuguese market cannot adapt to its own dimensions!

Another problem is with raw materials. Just like other producers, Luís Sequeira spends thousands of euros on medronho that he’s not allowed to claim as expenses “because medronho pickers don’t issue receipts”.

“They’re elderly people who’ve worked like this all their lives. I’m certain that if we don’t see incentives to attract new blood into agriculture, all this will have died out within the next few years!”

Sequeira believes local municipalities should create incentive programmes to “push people into the fields”, and turn around the huge problem of interior desertification.

He also thinks “official bodies should do their bit for regional products. For example, they could promote what people do in the area during the many festivals and municipal holidays”.

But what happens instead is that they “offer imported whisky”. “Even in Parliament (Assembleia da República), they drink foreign drinks”, he laments.

Sequeira is also aware that the manufacturing of medronho is affected by “scale”. “For our country, what we produce is enough – but if there were more people producing, it would open the door to exports!” and breath new life into the (flagging) economy.

“I’ve had people and businesses abroad wanting to buy my produce, but after a month or two, I’d have nothing left! It’s not worth it”, he concludes.

The solution for this, and other problems, boils down to “changing people’s mentalities”.